A former Madison Square Garden (MSG) employee has accused a New York Rangers superfan known as “Dancing Larry” of disgusting, inappropriate behavior. Miranda Tyson, a former member of the team’s Blue Crew hype squad, made the troubling accusations as part of a new workplace discrimination lawsuit.
Tyson alleges that “Dancing Larry” – real name Larry Goodman – has engaged in “pervasive and severe” harassment at New York Rangers games and events.
The lawsuit does not name Goodman, a New Jersey resident, as a defendant, but it repeatedly cites his behavior as being problematic. His alleged harassment occurred at “nearly every” contest, and was “an open secret among Blue Crew staff,” according to the lawsuit.
Goodman’s “insistence on touching us” has allegedly led him placing his hands on the Blue Crew’s heads, necks, arms, shoulders, and backs. He is also accused of “even trying to lace his fingers with theirs during high fives” and other “even more egregious conduct,” including” spitting into people’s mouths.”
“Every time we return from ‘Dancing Larry,’ more than one person assigned to it laments an unwanted interaction,” Tyson wrote in an email to a Blue Crew supervisor, according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit claims MSG did not stop the inappropriate behavior by ‘Dancing Larry’
The complaint states that Blue Crew members did not request removal from the “Dancing Larry” segments, but wanted Madison Square Garden to intervene on their behalf.
“That would not solve the problem – that would simply put another victim of persistent, unwelcome physical conduct that interferes with their ability to do their job in my place,” Tyson wrote. “I am saying that MSG has a responsibility to step in and address this textbook sexual harassment from one of its most recognizable personalities.”
The lawsuit goes on to claim that a conversation between MSG’s HR department and Goodman had no effect on his behavior. Instead, he “once again subjected Ms. Tyson to unwanted physical contact, placing his ‘full palm on the small of [their] back’ as they exited the performance area.”
After another complaint to HR about “Dancing Larry,” the company fired Tyson, supposedly due to a “business decision.” Tyson had been a member of the Blue Crew since September 2021 and had reportedly received uniformly positive performance reviews.
In addition to punitive damages for MSG and the Rangers’ “malicious, willful, wanton, and reckless conduct,” Tyson is requesting compensatory damages for lost wages, employment benefits, future earning capacity, as well as pre-judgment and post-judgment interest.
When asked about the lawsuit, an MSG spokesperson told The Independent, “We don’t comment on employee or legal matters.” Tyson’s attorney also declined to comment on the case, and reporters were unable to reach “Dancing Larry” for comment.