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Sydney Benes: Woman whose wheelchair was shoved downstairs by Carson Briere slams his 'zero remorse'

Hockey player Carson Briere and two others were suspended from all team-based activities by Mercyhurst after the incident

ERIE, PENNSYLVANIA: A disabled woman whose wheelchair was pushed down a flight of stairs by a former NHL player's son has now publicly slammed him. Hockey player Carson Briere and two others were suspended from all team-based activities by Mercyhurst after the incident. The woman, identified as Sydney Benes by her friend, refused to accept $8,000 raised for a replacement chair. The incident took place at Sullivan's Irish Pub in Erie, Pennsylvania. Sydney was not sitting in the wheelchair when it was pushed down, and it was empty.

"Hi im Sydney and it was my chair that was pushed down the stairs. I’m so thankful for all of Sullivan’s help in this situation and the kind comments I see on Julia’s post. I swear I really don’t wanna keep a cent of the donated money, I’d much rather give it to those who need it," the woman wrote on Twitter, posting a picture of herself with an employee of the bar.

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"See I would’ve but the point isn’t the money. Its that these boys did something disgusting with zero remorse. Security had Carson come apologize but it was very insincere considering he followed it up with Do I still have to go? directed towards the bouncer. Also very coherent," she wrote in another tweet, replying to a user who said "it could've been handled privately and off of the internet".

What happened at Sullivan's Irish Pub?

In a shocking video, Briere is seen shoving Sydney's wheelchair down the stairs after sitting on it for a few seconds. The chair was placed at the top of the stairs after someone had carried Sydney down so she could share the restroom. Briere is the son of former NHL player Daniel Briere, who said his son's actions were "inexcusable," according to the Daily Mail.

A user named Julia Zutkowski, who knows Sydney personally, posted the shocking video on social media, writing, "I usually don’t post anything serious on my twitter but something happened Saturday night and just can’t stomach the thought of this kid getting away with it. In the video below is a @MercyhurstU student and is currently on the @HurstMensHockey team. Carson Briere." She added of Sydney, "She is a good friend and a regular at the bar I work at Sullivans Pub in Erie PA.I’m sorry I couldn’t say that earlier with risk of outing Sydney until she was ready to come public."

Who is Carson Briere?

According to the website of Mercyhurst Athletics, from 2021-2022, Briere "appeared in 31 games, scored 13 goals to go along with 14 assists for 27 points. All marks ranked second on the team. His four power play goals tied for best on the team and his +5 +/- rating was second best on the team. He added 17 blocks. He scored a season high four goals on 10/15 against Holy Cross." From 2022-2023, he "played 30 and started 10 of the games for the Lakers, scored a total of 5 goals and had 8 assists. Briere had 41 shots on goal and had a total of 12 blocks this season."

In 2019, Briere was "dismissed" from a program at Arizona State University, along with another player, "due to a violation of team rules," according to the Walter Cronkite Sports Network. In a 2021 interview in College Hockey News, headlined 'Briere Making Most of 2nd Chance at Mercyhurst,' he said of his dismissal, "I was just going out; I wasn't taking hockey seriously. It wasn't anything bad, it was just not being committed to hockey, I was more committed to having fun at school. Too much partying, that's probably the best way to put it."

He said he learned a lesson from his experience at Arizona State. "It made me realize once you get to this level, it's a job, right? It's not just something you can do for fun," he said. "Obviously, you have to have fun while you're doing it, I think that's what keeps people going, but also knowing when to and when not to do things."

"It's just maturing in general. I honestly think it was a great lesson for me, helped me become a more all-around hockey player and look at life and everything in a different perspective," he added.

What is Carson Briere saying?

Briere said in a statement to the Daily Mail, "I am deeply sorry for my behavior on Saturday. There is no excuse for my actions, and I will do whatever I can to make up for this serious lack of judgment."

His father Daniel said, "I was shocked to see Carson's actions in the video that was shared on social media yesterday. They are inexcusable and run completely counter to our family's values of treating people with respect. Carson is very sorry and accepts full responsibility for his behavior." Mercyhurst police have reportedly said that an investigation into the incident has been taken over by the Erie Police Department.

A GoFundMe has been set up for Sydney to help fix her wheelchair. The rest of the money would go to "the disabled community and to people who really need the help," she said on social media. "The woman that the chair belongs to is Sydney Benes a double amputee that needs the chair to be mobile while she is learning to use her prosthetics," the page reads. "We have talked to Sydney and she wants to use any money in excess of what it will cost to repair or replace the chair to help others that are in need and in similar situations."