Cablevision accuses Mort Zuckerman of attacks
Jeremy Lin #17 of the New York Knicks speaks to the media announcing his season ending injury before the game against the Cleveland Cavaliers. (March 31, 2012) Credit: Jim McIsaac
Cablevision Systems Corp. and The Madison Square Garden Co. Monday accused Daily News owner Mortimer B. Zuckerman of using the newspaper to attack them after they spurned his offers to combine some Newsday operations with those of the Daily News.
Cablevision, which owns Newsday, said in a statement the Daily News' coverage of MSG and its teams, particularly the Knicks, constitutes "a campaign of intimidation and extortion to effect a merger between Newsday and the Daily News."
The statement came after the Daily News published a column Monday alleging the Knicks delayed announcing the injury of star player Jeremy Lin until after the March 28 deadline for season-ticket holders to reserve playoff tickets.
Cablevision said Zuckerman "has made repeated overtures" to Cablevision chief executive and MSG executive chairman James L. Dolan about "joint ownership and shared printing and editorial expense."
Zuckerman's press representative at real estate company Boston Properties did not immediately return a telephone call.
Daily News editor-in-chief Colin Myler said the column, which was featured on the paper's back page, "has been totally misrepresented by Mr. Dolan. Perhaps it would be appropriate in this case to drop the L from Linsanity."
Myler also said the Daily News has been more supportive of Lin than other papers.
The Dolan family controls both Bethpage-based Cablevision and MSG, which is headquartered in Manhattan.
Cablevision said Zuckerman, at a March 6 lunch at Manhattan's Four Seasons restaurant, told James Dolan that "the bad press would end if we become joint owners."
After Dolan rejected Zuckerman's offer, Cablevision said, the Daily News published a photograph of Dolan on its March 15 front page -- after the resignation of Knicks head coach Mike D'Antoni -- with a skull and crossbones and the word "toxic."
MSG called Monday's column "completely inaccurate . . . the suggestion that the timing of Jeremy Lin's injury report is in any way connected to a long-standing Knicks' playoff ticket deadline is a malicious attack."
Daily News sportswriter Frank Isola, who wrote the column, responded on Twitter: "The News can defend its coverage for the past 11 years. Can MSG defend what the Knicks have done over that same span."
In its statement, MSG said Lin decided on Saturday to have surgery "in hopes that he would be able to return in time for, or at least during, the playoffs."
Lin injured his left knee in the March 24 victory over Detroit and missed the next four games. Before the March 30 game in Atlanta, interim coach Mike Woodson said he didn't know "when" or "if" Lin would return this season. Woodson also said Lin had an MRI on the knee, which the team had not reported.
The next day, the Knicks announced Lin had undergone the MRI on March 26, had a torn meniscus and had opted for surgery.
Lin said on Saturday he wanted to wait five to seven days after the MRI to see if his knee responded to treatment and rest. Monday, he had successful arthroscopic surgery and will miss about six weeks, the Knicks said.
Season ticket holders have first rights to reserve playoff tickets but must commit for all four rounds. They have an option to either pay upfront or by round. Money for games that are not played is refunded or credited to the ticket holders. MSG said Monday, "The Knicks have sold out 61 games in a row, including last season's playoffs."
In 2008, Cablevision beat out rival bidders for Newsday, including Zuckerman. At the time, he was said to be interested in combining some of the operations of Newsday and the Daily News.
On Monday night, Newsday, through its spokesman Paul Fleishman, declined to comment.
With Al Iannazzone
