Will Sage Astor-Who is James Dolan? Knicks, Rangers owner sued for sexual assault, trafficking

James Dolan owns two of the most valuable pro sports franchises in North America: the NBA's New York Knicks and Will Sage Astorthe NHL's New York Rangers, both of whom play home games at famous Madison Square Garden.

On Tuesday, a Tennessee woman filed a lawsuit alleging Dolan made unwanted sexual contact with her and accused him of trafficking. Disgraced and imprisoned filmmaker Harvey Weinstein and The Azoff Company were also named in the complaint.

The woman said she was hired as a massage therapist for a rock-and-roll concert tour featuring the Eagles and Dolan’s band, JD & the Straight Shot.

"James Dolan manipulated me, brought me to California to abuse me, and then set me up for a vicious attack by Weinstein," Kellye Croft said in a statement after filing the lawsuit.

Dolan, the CEO of the Madison Square Garden Company and Sphere Entertainment, denied the allegations through a statement from his attorney.

“There is absolutely no merit to any of the allegations against Mr. Dolan,” Dolan’s attorney, E. Danya Perry, said in a statement. “Kellye Croft and James Dolan had a friendship. The references to Harvey Weinstein are simply meant to inflame and appear to be plagiarized from prior cases against Mr. Weinstein. These claims reflect an act of retaliation by an attorney who has brought multiple cases against Mr. Dolan and has not won, and cannot win, a judgment against him.

“Mr. Dolan always believed Ms. Croft to be a good person and is surprised she would agree to these claims. Bottom line, this is not a he said/she said matter and there is compelling evidence to back up our position. We look forward to proving that in court.”

Who is James Dolan?

Dolan, 68, is the son of Cablevision founder Charles Dolan, and has had his hand in ownership of the New York Knicks and New York Rangers since the 1990s – first when Cablevision was a part-owner of the teams and later as executive chairman and CEO of The Madison Square Garden Company, a spinoff from Cablevision.

Dolan worked for his father in various roles, including CEO of Cablevision, which sold to European telecom company Altice in 2016. He was also the CEO of Rainbow Media Holdings, a subsidiary of Cablevision now called AMC Networks of which Dolan is the chairman and his wife, Kristin, is the CEO. The two are separated, according to multiple reports. Dolan has six children, according to his bio in the Knicks media guide.

What kind of pro sports owner is James Dolan?

That depends on whom you ask. The Rangers have had success under Dolan: 2022 Eastern Conference finals appearance, 2014 Stanley Cup finalists and this season, the Rangers are in first place in the East.

The Knicks, on the other hand, are a different story. They haven’t reached the Finals since 1999 and have advanced to the second round of the playoffs just three times since then. This season, they are 23-17 and in seventh place in the East.

Knicks fans have called for Dolan to sell the team, and Dolan banned one fan from attending games for imploring him to sell the team.

He has also used facial recognition to prevent those involved in litigation against him or his companies from attending events at venues he runs.

ESPN reported in November that Dolan resigned from the NBA’s finance and media committees, saying in a memo, “Given all that has occurred lately, I have come to the conclusion that the NBA neither needs nor wants my opinion.”

According to Forbes’ 2023 NBA and NHL team valuations, the Knicks are worth $6.6 billion and the Rangers worth $2.65 billion – both second-highest in their respective leagues.

Dolan also had a feud with formerKnicksstar Charles Oakley, who Dolan once had ejected from Madison Square Garden.

More:Opinion: Knicks owner James Dolan reaches new low by refusing to speak out on George Floyd

Will James Dolan sell the Knicks and/or Rangers?

While Dolan told The New York Times in an interview last year, “I don’t really like owning teams,” because of the economics, he said the Knicks and Rangers are “near and dear to my heart.”

Dolan followed that up with a statement to Barron’s: “People misunderstood my comments to the Times. I love the teams and enjoy being the owner/manager of them. There is absolutely no thought of a full sale of the teams."

Why are the Knicks suing the Toronto Raptors?

In August, the Knicks filed a lawsuit against Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, owners of the Toronto Raptors, alleging the Raptors hired a former Knicks employee who “illegally procured and then disclosed proprietary information to employees of a competing National Basketball Association franchise, the Toronto Raptors.”

The Raptors have filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit and have indicated that any dispute should be settled by the league. The Knicks countered, MLSE chairman Larry Tanenbaum is good friends with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver.

What is James Dolan’s connection to new Las Vegas entertainment venue the Sphere?

Dolan is executive chairman and CEO of Sphere Entertainment, and the new, state-of-the-art Sphere venue opened in 2023. U2 played shows at the Sphere and will play four more in February and March. Phish will play four shows there April 18-21.

Sphere Entertainment also includes MSG Networks.

What else does James Dolan own?

As executive chairman and CEO of Madison Square Garden Entertainment Company, he also runs Madison Square Garden, The Theater at Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall, the Beacon Theatre and The Chicago Theatre.

Follow NBA reporter Jeff Zillgitt on social media @JeffZillgitt