Knicks try to clear up ‘misinformation’ about rings, say employees will get them in 4-6 weeks

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The New York Knicks sought to clear up what they said is “misinformation” regarding the awarding of their championship rings, saying Saturday that employees who were always supposed to get them will do so in about a month.

Madison Square Garden again conceded that using an email regarding the selection of rings to train staffers about cybersecurity was a mistake, though “reminding our employees to protect our IP was not.”

It was the second straight day the NBA champions responded to criticism of their distribution of the jewelry they earned after winning their first title since 1973.

Players were awarded their rings Tuesday night before the Knicks opened the season against the Philadelphia 76ers. But The Athletic reported later in the week that assistant coaches did not get theirs.

Madison Square Garden responded to that Friday by saying more than 275 employees were already set to be gifted rings, worth more than $3.7 million.

Frank Franklin II/AP

The Knicks raised a banner to the MSG rafters. Then LeBron James and the 76ers brought them back to earth

“There is a great deal of misinformation regarding the championship rings. The plan has always been to distribute more than 275 rings and jewelry to the people in the organization who were part of last season’s success,” an MSG spokesperson said Saturday. “As is common with many teams, the players were always supposed to get their rings as part of the opening night ceremony and then everyone else will receive theirs in about 4-6 weeks.”

The Athletic report also said that in September, MSG employees received an email reading: “Congratulations, your Employee Championship Ring is here.” It showed a graphic with two ring styles that could be selected, but those who clicked on the link at the bottom of the email were forced to attend a mandatory cybersecurity class.

“Regarding the phishing email, the process of securing and reminding our employees to protect our IP was not a mistake but the choice to use the ring to do so was a mistake and we apologize to our employees and the fans,” MSG said.

“Winning the championship was a great moment for all New Yorkers. Those who choose to focus on the negative are missing the joy that comes with the team’s accomplishment.”

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纽约尼克斯队试图澄清有关总冠军戒指颁发的“错误信息”，并于周六表示，原本应该获得戒指的员工将在大约一个月后获得戒指。

麦迪逊广场花园再次承认，使用有关戒指选择的电子邮件来培训员工网络安全是一个错误，尽管“提醒我们的员工保护我们的知识产权并不是错误”。

这是NBA总冠军连续第二天回应外界对他们在赢得自1973年以来的第一个总冠军后如何分配奖杯的批评。

周二晚，尼克斯队与费城76人队揭幕战前，球员们都获得了总冠军戒指。但《The Athletic》本周晚些时候报道称，助理教练们并没有拿到戒指。

麦迪逊广场花园周五回应称，已有超过 275 名员工将获赠戒指，价值超过 370 万美元。

弗兰克·富兰克林二世/美联社

尼克斯队将总冠军旗帜高高挂在了麦迪逊广场花园球馆的穹顶之下。随后，勒布朗·詹姆斯和76人队又将他们拉回了现实。

“关于总冠军戒指有很多误传。我们一直计划向上赛季为球队成功做出贡献的275多位员工分发戒指和珠宝，”麦迪逊广场花园（MSG）发言人周六表示。“和很多球队一样，球员们原本就应该在开幕之夜的颁奖典礼上拿到戒指，其他人的戒指则会在大约4到6周后陆续收到。”

《The Athletic》的报道还指出，9月份，MSG员工收到了一封电子邮件，内容为：“恭喜，您的员工冠军戒指已送达。”邮件中包含一张两种戒指款式的图片供选择，但点击邮件底部链接的员工却被迫参加一个强制性的网络安全课程。

MSG表示：“关于钓鱼邮件事件，我们采取措施保护员工的知识产权并提醒他们注意，这本身并没有错，但选择使用钓鱼网站进行钓鱼是一个错误，我们向员工和粉丝们道歉。”

“赢得总冠军对所有纽约人来说都是一个伟大的时刻。那些只关注负面消息的人错过了球队取得成就所带来的喜悦。”