Controversy Emerges in New York After Rangers Staff Member Gets Fired For Having Dinner With a Player
A controversy is emerging in New York as the Rangers fired one of their staff members for having dinner with a player.
The New York Rangers are going through their worst stretch in recent years. Nearly two weeks after trading their captain Jacob Trouba to the Anaheim Ducks, they fell to the sixth spot in the Metropolitan Division after losing seven of their last ten games.
The team has a 15-15-1, tied with the Islanders at 31 points, only two points ahead of the Columbus Blue Jackets at the eighth spot in the division.
While fans thought it couldn't get any worse for the Rangers, a new controversy is emerging.
Indeed, the Rangers fired the longtime trainer Jim Ramsay last year, and a new report from USA Today revealed the controversial reason behind the firing.
According to Vince Mercogliano's report, the Rangers released a memo to the players and staff explaining that they fired Jim Ramsay because he had dinner with a player following a team media event.
Here's what wrote when he talked about the "culture problems" in New York:
Staffers were told that "absent written approval from an Executive Vice President ('EVP') or above," they were prohibited from staying at the same hotel as any of the teams under the MSG umbrella, including the minor-league Hartford Wolf Pack and Westchester Knicks, traveling on team flights or buses, or attending team social gatherings or meals, according to the memo."
The internal memo read: "Interactions between employees and players or coaches must be strictly limited except as necessary to satisfy the requirements of an employee's role," it read. "Failure to comply with the directives set forth in this memorandum may result in disciplinary action, including, without limitation, termination of employment."
After the memo circulated, a few members of the Rangers staff decided to boycott the next team event, and it seems there's still some tension in the organization.
With all the controversy surrounding Drury, many believe the Rangers are poised to fire their general manager soon.
