When 42-year-old broker Anthony Rotondi decided to go to a Knicks game against the Pistons earlier this year, he didn't know that it would eventually cost him his job. But according to a lawsuit that he just filed against the Knicks organization, that's exactly how a night at Madison Square Garden ended up affecting him and his career.
In the lawsuit, which was filed in Manhattan recently, Rotondi claims that he yelled, "Carmelo, you stink," at Carmelo Anthony towards the end of the game against Detroit after the Knicks blew a 14-point lead. As a result of it, he says that he was removed from his fourth-row seats by security guards and eventually escorted out of the arena. He also says that he was charged with criminal trespass and tampering with a sports event. And in addition to all of that, he says MSG officials contacted his boss at ING later to reveal that he had been kicked out of the game and charged with crimes for acting "disorderly." ING fired him a short time later, which is why he's now suing the Knicks.
For what it's worth, officials at MSG have already called Rotondi's lawsuit "frivolous." And the New York Post tracked down a fan who was at the game that night and he revealed that Rotondi actually got tossed for using foul language. But he'll still have his day in court to plead his case. It's just crazy that all of this stems from a fan heckling Carmelo Anthony during a game.
[via New York Post]
