MSG President SCOTT O'NEIL is “stepping down next week after four years with the organization,” according to Frank Isola of the N.Y. DAILY NEWS. It is “unclear what led to O’Neil’s abrupt departure.” A source said that O’Neil has been “at odds with Garden Chairman JAMES DOLAN.” Others “insist O’Neil’s goals are different from running the World’s Most Famous Arena.” Sources said that O’Neil “always has had aspirations of becoming NBA commissioner, a job the league’s deputy commish and COO ADAM SILVER is expected to fill once DAVID STERN steps down.” O’Neil worked for the NBA as Senior VP before leaving for MSG. Sources said that O’Neil is “calling his move a resignation, but according to sources this could very well be Dolan’s way of forcing out a personality the organization considers a potential leak -- an approachable businessman who does not instinctively fear and loathe the press” (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 9/6). In N.Y., Howard Beck notes O’Neil “helped stabilize the Knicks after the controversy and tumult of the ISIAH THOMAS era.” The reasons for O’Neil’s departure were “not immediately clear, but it appears he is not leaving for another job.” O’Neil was “constantly pushing to expand his influence in the daily operations of the Knicks and the Rangers, as well as on the business side, creating some tension with Dolan.” O’Neil was “well regarded around the league, and he generated millions in new revenue for the Garden.” The MSG statement said that the search for O’Neil’s successor will “begin immediately” (N.Y. TIMES, 9/6).
