Artemi Panarin, a star player for the New York Rangers, was accused of sexual assault by a team employee in December 2023. A recent report from The Athletic revealed that both Panarin and the Madison Square Garden Company reached a financial settlement with the employee in August. The settlement included non-disclosure and no admission of wrongdoing clauses.
The alleged assault was said to have taken place after a postgame gathering at a hotel where Panarin reportedly took the employee's phone and invited her to his room. The employee claimed Panarin attempted an assault, but she pushed him away and left the room. The incident was not reported to law enforcement, and the team was only informed approximately three months later during an investigation into a separate matter involving the employee providing medication to a player on a team flight.
Following these events, a memo was distributed to team employees prior to the 2024-25 season, outlining behavioral expectations when interacting with players and coaches across all MSG teams. The memo emphasized strict limitations on employee interactions and prohibited close proximity during team activities. The team employee involved in the incident chose not to disclose reasons for leaving the organization after the story was made public in December 2024. An MSG Sports spokesperson confirmed that the matter concerning Panarin has been resolved.