New York Rangers star forward Artemi Panarin and Madison Square Garden Sports, the company that owns the Rangers, paid financial settlements to a former team employee last year after a woman alleged Panarin sexually assaulted her, per The Athletic.
The employee alleged that Panarin sexually assaulted her in a hotel room in 2023, according to the report.
The woman’s agreement with Panarin and MSG Sports included non-disclosure and no admission of wrongdoing clauses. The woman was not identified in the report and left the company following the agreements.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
“The matter has been resolved,” the woman said, according to The Athletic.
The alleged assault occurred in December 2023, when the team was on a road trip, per the report. The woman was a regular part of the team’s traveling party and was at a post-game gathering with players and staff members.
Panarin, 33, allegedly took the woman’s phone and said he would give her the phone back if she went and got it from his hotel room. When she arrived at Panarin’s hotel room to gather her phone, he allegedly pinned her down on the bed.
She then allegedly pushed him off, took her phone back and left the room.
“The Club retained an outside law firm to conduct an independent investigation, which the League was fully apprised of. We consider the matter closed,” the NHL said in a statement via The Athletic.
“The matter has been resolved,” an MSG Sports spokesperson said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
The NHL and the Rangers declined to say if Panarin was subject to any discipline for the alleged sexual assault, according to the report.
At the time the alleged sexual assault occurred, Panarin was in the midst of his best season with the Rangers after he signed with the team in 2019. In the 2023-2024 season, Panarin scored 49 goals and had a career-high 120 points and played in all 82 games.
This season, Panarin has 37 goals and 89 points in 79 games played. On Wednesday, the Rangers announced he was the team’s MVP for the 2024-2025 season.
On Wednesday, Panarin was also given the Good Guy Award by the media for his accountability and cooperation with the media.
The Rangers play the final game of their regular season on Thursday against the Tampa Bay Lightning at 7:00 p.m. ET. The Rangers did not qualify for the playoffs as they struggled this season, going 38-36-7.
Head coach Peter Laviolette spoke to reporters on Thursday morning and declined to say if Panarin would play against the Lightning, according to the New York Post.
Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
