James Dolan told Fox 5 on Thursday that he would halt liquor sales at a future Rangers game to make a point to the State Liquor Authority, which is looking into a way to pull liquor licenses at MSG and other businesses Dolan owns due to his use of facial recognition technology to refuse entry to attorneys working for firms that have active lawsuits against him.
With another 24 hours to think it over, did he still see that drastic measure as a realistic option?
“I don’t think so, but I can’t completely rule it out,” Dolan told Carton and Roberts on Friday. “I think we said on the interview yesterday that we were considering it. just doing that interview and talking today may avoid the need to do it, because what we’re trying to do is tell the fanbase that we’re in danger of losing our liquor license for no good reason at all.
“If drinking a beer at the game is important to you, they’re threatening you. they’re telling you you’re not gonna get a beer.”
The decision would certainly anger the thousands of fans in attendance at whatever Rangers game Dolan decided to activate that measure, but Dolan is still wondering if it would be better in the long run, as it would prove a point and spark fans’ motivation to call out the SLA as well.
“We of course want to sell alcohol at every event….but would you rather have one day without alcohol that enables us to stop us from losing a whole season of alcohol, or would you want to just wait and see if we lose it for the whole season?” Dolan said. “I’m not sitting here telling you we’re gonna do it…I think we’re just gonna look more at what fans think.”
So, while Dolan may not stop liquor sales at a game after all, he still might implement his flyer idea containing the face and contact info of SLA CEO Sharif Kabir.
“We’re gonna take this gentleman and his picture…and we’ll probably put them by the places where you buy alcohol,” Dolan said. “We’ll say, ‘If you want to keep drinking alcohol here, let this guy know.’ if it works, then there’s no reason to stop alcohol. If it doesn’t, I’m not sure.”
Follow WFAN's afternoon team on Twitter: @CartonRoberts, @EvanRobertsWFAN, @TommyLugauer, and @CMacWFAN
Follow WFAN on Social Media
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Twitch
Listen live to WFAN:
Audacy App | Online Stream | Smart Speaker (just say ‘Play W-F-A-N’)