Chris Botta, who publicized the New York Islanders for 15 years, had his credentials to cover the team on his blog revoked Tuesday, a day after the last-place franchise fired coach Scott Gordon.
“I was about to leave for practice and I got a text from Kimber saying they would never issue me credentials for games and practices,” Botta said by telephone late Thursday, referring to Kimber Auerbach, the team’s manager of communications.
Botta said the only reason that Auerbach cited was management’s increasing concern that he had gone from “reporting the news to making the news.”
Botta, who had kept quiet for 48 hours about the Islanders’ action, added, “He didn’t say it was temporary.” Auerbach did not respond to requests for comment.
Botta said that one of the interviews he gave Thursday was with Mike Francesa of New York’s WFAN radio station. Botta said it was rare for Francesa to interview a guest about the Islanders. “The last time was probably me two years ago when there were rumors the team was moving to Kansas City,” he said.
The denial of Botta’s access came a day after the NBA’s Miami Heat said that it would no longer issue credentials to Esquire magazine’s Scott Raab because of his profane Twitter posts about LeBron James. Raab is writing a book about James’ effect on Cleveland and Miami.
Botta spent 15 years in public relations with the Islanders before leaving in 2008 to start his blog, NYI Point Blank, which the team financed for a year. The blog has helped fill a media void for the moribund, publicity-starved NHL team.
The blog is now sponsored by AOL FanHouse, where Botta is a senior NHL reporter.
