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James Dolan got this email from a long-time Knick fan suggesting he sell the team, the most disrespectful line of which was "You have done a lot of utterly STUPID business things with the franchise." Dolan's response was particularly vicious, suggesting the fan was "alcoholic maybe" who had "most likely have made your family miserable" and adding that he should "start rooting.for the Nets because the Knicks don't want you."
As reported by Deadspin, here is the full exchange... as shared by filmmaker Aaron Bierman, the son of the 73-year-old fan, Irving Bierman.
From Bierman...
Subject: I have been a knicks fan since 1952
At one stage I thought that you did a wonderful thing when you acquired EVERYTHING from your dad. However, since then it has been ALL DOWN HILL. Your working with Isaiah Thomas & everything else regarding the Knicks. Bringing on Phil Jackson was a positive beginning, but lowballing Steve Kerr was a DISGRACE to the knicks. The bottom line is that you merely continued to interfere with the franchise.
As a knicks fan for in excess of 60 years, I am utterly embarrassed by your dealings with the Knicks. Sell them so their fans can at least look forward to growing them in a positive direction Obviously, money IS NOT THE ONLY THING. You have done a lot of utterly STUPID business things with the franchise. Please NO MORE.
Respectfully
The response from the nearly 60-year-old Dolan, the principal owner of the Knicks, a member of the NBA Board of Governors and CEO of two publicly traded companies, Cablevision and MSG:
Mr Bierman
You are a sad person. Why would anybody write such a hateful letter. I am.just guessing but ill bet your life is a mess and you are a hateful mess. What have you done that anyone would consider positive or nice. I am betting nothing. In fact ill bet you are negative force in everyone who comes in contact with you. You most likely have made your family miserable. Alcoholic maybe. I just celebrated my 21 year anniversary of sobriety. You should try it. Maybe it will help you become a person that folks would like to have around. In the mean while start rooting.for the Nets because the Knicks dont want you.
Respectfully
Later, Howard Beck tweeted confirmation that the email was indeed Dolan's.
This Jim Dolan email published by Deadspin is legit, sources confirm. Dolan wrote it. http://t.co/wwEAYWXtdl pic.twitter.com/yI4C0XPPiB
— Howard Beck (@HowardBeck) February 8, 2015
WOW.
Maybe Mikhail Prokhorov's promise that he could "turn Knicks fans into Nets fans" has some legs after all. But not with Bierman, who said he would "never" root for the Brooklyns. The Nets owner would not comment on the email exchange. Meanwhile, Adam Silver wrote off the controversy --days before the All-Star Game-- as nothing more than a "consummate New Yorker" replying to an "unkind" email. His predecessor, David Stern, called the exchange "almost beneath the commissioner's duties."
Neither man discussed Dolan's suggestion that Bierman root for the Nets.
- Dolan: "Start Rooting For The Nets Because The Knicks Don't Want You" - Timothy Burke - Deadspin
- Knicks Owner James Dolan to Fan: Root for the Nets - Alex Raskin - Wall Street Journal
- New York Knicks owner James Dolan to upset fan -- Root for Brooklyn Nets - Ian Begley - ESPN New York
- Knicks owner James Dolan calls fan 'alcoholic maybe,' urges him to root for Nets - AP
- ‘The Knicks don’t want you': Dolan to fan in raging email - Mark W. Sanchez - New York Post
- With email, Dolan sets new standard for arrogance, stupidity - Mike Vaccaro - New York Post
- GO DUNK YOURSELF: James Dolan tells angry fan 'Knicks don't want you,’:root for Nets - Stephen Rex Brown - New York Daily News
- Knicks Owner James Dolan Responds to E-Mail from Upset Fan - Tyler Conway - Bleacher Report
- James Dolan loses cool with embittered Knicks fan - Steve Popper - The Record
- James Dolan tells fan in email, ‘Start rooting for the Nets because the Knicks dont want you’ - Des Beiler - Washington Post
- Knicks owner accuses lifelong fan of being an ‘alcoholic,’ tells him to ‘start rooting for the Nets’ - Brett Pollakoff - NBC Sports
- Knicks CEO calls angry lifelong fan alcoholic, asks he root for Nets - Will Green - Sports Illustrated
- James Dolan To Fan: Start Rooting For Nets Because ‘Knicks Don’t Want You’ - NESN
- Knicks Owner James Dolan Tells Knicks Fan "start rooting.for the Nets because the Knicks dont want you" - Devin Kharpertian - The Brooklyn Game
- 'You most likely have made your family miserable. Alcoholic maybe': Extraordinary response from New York Knicks CEO to fan who wrote him an angry email about team - Jack Crone - London Daily Mail