The Madison Square Garden Company is responding to the allegations currently being levied against them from the New York Daily News. According to the Daily News, MSG and Knicks chairman James Dolan are attempting to derail the development of the LA Clippers' new arena project in Inglewood, California. MSG and Dolan, on the other hand, are telling a different story.
The Knicks' PR department released an official statement with regards to the Daily News' claims on Tuesday morning:
“It is common knowledge that the Daily News has a vendetta against MSG. This is attributable to a disgruntled former employee that was fired by Mr. Dolan from his position at Newsday. That employee was Timothy Knight, who is now CEO of Tribune Publishing, the owner of the Daily News. This story, based on cherry-picked portions of a deposition that are grossly misleading, is just the latest evidence of how low they are willing to go with their attacks.”
The Daily News laid out several facts about Dolan and MSG in their original article, noting that he and the company were making an attempt to block the development of the new arena:
· Dolan’s company logged about $1 million in lobbying expenditures in the State of California, according to public documents, with a goal of blocking the Clippers arena.
Daily News Editor-in-Chief Robert York later responded MSG's statement:
“There is no truth to the claim of a vendetta by anyone toward Mr. Dolan or anyone at MSG. The NYDN’s sole mission is to accurately report relevant news and this piece fits the classic definition of newsworthy information.”
A new arena for the Clippers is supported by many, but there are also those who are opposed to the project. Some residents in the area are voicing concerns about traffic, as well as the environment. MSG points to these facts and others in their statement.
Dolan holds a stake in The Forum, which is a multi-purpose indoor arena roughly one mile from the new arena's projected site. This new venue would certainly have an impact on The Forum's revenue.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver reportedly tried to broker a compromise between Dolan and Clippers owner Steve Ballmer, but it failed.
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