Last week, the New York Post reported that attorney Kelly Conlon was refused entry into the Radio City Christmas Spectacular because she was flagged by a facial recognition system that deemed her ineligible for entry because, as she told The Post, “they said my firm was on the attorney exclusion list and escorted me out.”
As reported by The Post, the measure was one put together by Knicks owner and MSG CEO James Dolan, who has used to software to “ban any law firm that has a suit against any of his holdings,” as Conlon’s firm has been involved in injury litigation against a restaurant owned by MSG Entertainment and the owner of Radio City Music Hall.
Now, Ethan Strauss reports in his Substack that this software is also being used to flag Knicks fans, including celebrities, who have been critical of the franchise and ownership.
Strauss reports that Brett Klein, a financial adviser at Merrill Lynch, gets “harassed” by MSG security at Knicks and Rangers games because he once commented “sell the team” on the Facebook page of Dolan’s band. Per Strauss, the facial recognition software is used to track individuals that have been placed on MSG’s Code of Conduct list, which consists of six tiers from zero to five. Spike Lee is apparently in Code 2, meaning MSG security tracks his movements within the arena. The Knicks superfan and accomplished film director is no longer welcome in “back of the house” at Knicks games anymore due to Lee publicly criticizing Dolan after Charles Oakley was taken out of MSG by security.
Code 0 is reportedly a level where an individual is not allowed inside the building, and a Code 5 means a permanent ban. Michael Rapaport, actor and Knicks fan who has consistently been critical of team ownership, reportedly falls into the latter category.
An MSG spokesperson, in a comment to the New York Post regarding Strauss’ report, said the story contains “multiple inaccuracies and incorrect facts.”
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
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