One day after being named the New York Rangers Good Guy Award winner by the media, a bombshell report by The Athletic states that Artemi Panarin and MSG Sports each reached financial settlements with a former Rangers employee following a sexual assault allegation against the star forward last season.
The alleged assault with the female employee took place on a road trip in December 2023, and included Panarin reportedly pinning her to a bed, before she broke free and left his room. The report states that Panarin lured her there to retrieve her cell phone, which he had taken.
After an internal investigation into the alleged incident, separate settlements were reached with Panarin and MSG Sports last August, and the woman left the organization. Neither she nor MSG provided any comment after being contacted by The Athletic.
The NHL was aware of the situation and told The Athletic, “The Club retained an outside law firm to conduct an independent investigation, which the League was fully apprised of. We consider the matter closed.”
The story broke on the final day of a miserable season for the Rangers, and just one day after Panarin was voted team MVP as well as the Good Guy winner by New York media.
The Rangers not only missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time in four seasons but there was a bad mojo around the club all season. Now this breaking news puts the capper on it all.
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The alleged incident took place during Panarin’s best season in the NHL. He had career highs with 49 goals and 120 points, and was in serious consideration for the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP last season.
This season, the 33-year-old has risen above the muck on the ice, leading the Rangers with 37 goals and 89 points heading into the season finale Thursday against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Now that this story is public, it’s worth wondering if the Rangers will choose to scratch Panarin in the meaningless game at Madison Square Garden, not knowing what fan reaction might be.
Panarin has one season remaining on a seven-year, $81.5 million contract he signed with the Rangers on July 1, 2019.
Four years ago, a tabloid newspaper in Russia ran a story claiming Panarin physically assaulted an 18-year-old woman in 2011, when he was 20. Panarin took a three-week leave of absence from the Rangers at the time. He and the Rangers claimed Panarin was being targeted for publicly opposing Russian President Vladimir Putin.
THIS IS A DEVELOPING STORY. MORE TO COME.
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