New York Knicks owner James Dolan has not endeared himself to basketball fans over the years. Under his watch, the team has performed woefully for most of the last decade. During that stretch, Dolan became known for his poor management decisions, notably an inexplicable attachment to erstwhile coach Isiah Thomas, whose disastrous tenure sparked widespread fan and tabloid outrage.
The owner's latest alleged move probably won't win him any more supporters.
The New York Post reports that Dolan temporarily fired an employee, security guard Fiordaliza Hernandez, who refused to grant him access to an exclusive section of Madison Square Garden because she didn't recognize him. The Post recounts the exchange after Dolan asked Hernandez if she aware of his identity:
The startled security guard admitted she didn’t.
Then Dolan demanded, “How long have you worked here?”
Three years, the guard said.
“I’m your boss! I pay your salary!” Dolan shot back.
The Post reports that when the guard still wouldn't let him in, Dolan yelled, "Give me your ID! You’re fired!"
Perhaps keeping in mind the bout of negative publicity such a firing could cause, Dolan reportedly reinstated Hernandez the next day.
The Post report may quash any goodwill Dolan generated when the Daily News reported that he had helped cover some of the medical expenses of former Knicks guard Ray Williams, who recently passed away.
And now Knicks fans can go from mulling their owner's latest alleged psychodrama to wondering whether his team can maintain its unusually high level of recent play into the postseason.
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