NYC- Sean Avery doesn’t mind appearing on the gossip pages of certain city tabloids when he’s out in New York City with an actress or other celebrity. But his front-page appearance in one of the city tabloids yesterday wasn’t welcomed, and it turns out it might have been false.
Mark Heller, the attorney for recently arrested madam Kristin Davis, told Newsday last night that his client has “never had any contact whatsoever” with Rangers forward Avery, whose name and cell-phone number were in the electronic “black book” allegedly uncovered by the [New York] Daily News.
Heller said no such book exists. “It’s my belief and my client’s belief that whatever is in the Daily News’ possession is not authentic,” he said. “If it were real, the district attorney’s office would have brought it to the arraignment and waved it in front of the court.”
Avery said he and his teammates were “laughing hysterically” about the report during the team’s practice.
“I certainly have a lot of enemies,” said Avery, who may be considering a lawsuit against the News, according to a person who has spoken with him. “I do know that if I was to venture into one of these establishments, I wouldn’t use my real name. I think that would be stating the obvious.”
Davis, whose alleged multi-million-dollar prostitution ring has been linked to former Gov. Eliot Spitzer, was arrested this past week on prostitution and money-laundering charges and is being held on $2-million bail. The Daily News reported that Avery was among the most high-profile names in the spreadsheet the paper obtained.
“If such a book existed,” Heller said, “the News didn’t get it from me or my client, and I highly doubt it was given to them by the district attorney’s office or any other law-enforcement officials.”
Avery, not aware of Heller’s comments as he arrived with the Rangers in Pittsburgh for today’s game against the Penguins, believed someone played a joke on him by using his name and number for the escort service.
“I’ve had that number for a long time,” he said. “Maybe too long.”