Rangers Reportedly Settled With Former Employee After Sexual Assault Allegations Against Artemi Panarin

A new report claims that Madison Square Garden Sports— the company that owns the New York Rangers — and Rangers forward Artemi Panarin paid settlements to a former team employee last year following a sexual assault allegation against the star player.

The Athletic's Katie Strang reported that a former Rangers employee who left the team in August of last year after reaching deals that included both non-disclosure and no-admission-of-wrongdoing clauses. There were reportedly two of these deals, one with MSG Sports.

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The report cites several anonymous sources who had either reviewed the settlements firsthand or had been briefed on them.

The alleged incident occurred in December of 2023 while the Rangers were on the road. According to two team sources, Strang reports that Panarin and the woman were at a postgame get-together at a hotel with about a dozen people, both players and staff members.

Panarin — who was recently named the team's MVP of the 2024-25 season — allegedly took the woman's phone and said he wasn't going to give it back to her until she went up to his hotel room. A new report reveals that the New York Rangers and Artemi Panarin settled with a former employee after the forward was accused of sexual assault.

A new report reveals that the New York Rangers and Artemi Panarin settled with a former employee after the forward was accused of sexual assault..  (Photo by Rich Graessle/NHLI via Getty Images)

According to the report, the woman — who traveled with the Rangers regularly — went to Panarin's room to retrieve her phone, and that's where he is alleged to have pinned her down to the bed. The woman then reportedly pushed him away and left the room after retrieving her phone.

While Panarin and his representation did not provide comment for The Athletic's piece, MSG Sports and the woman did, with both saying, "The matter has been resolved."

This is not the first time Panarin has had accusations levied against him. In 2021, he took a leave of absence from the Rangers after he was accused of getting into a physical altercation with a woman in Latvia.

The Rangers denied the allegations at the time, saying they were an "intimidation tactic" used against Panarin after he had spoken out about politics in his native Russia.