Law student’s harsh posts about Cardinal sparks outrage
Listen To Story Above
A law student at St. John’s University has sparked controversy over inflammatory social media posts targeting Cardinal Timothy Dolan and several New York City Council members.
Vishal Balani, a 26-year-old part-time Yankees employee and first-year law student, allegedly posted harsh criticism of New York’s Catholic leader on X, previously known as Twitter. According to NYC Councilman Robert Holden, Balani’s post stated: “Pope Francis is a model of Catholic love, servitude and grace. You are a bootlicking disgrace with your nose up Donald Trump’s ass.”
Beautiful Moment when Cardinal
Timothy Dolan of New York exchanged his hat for the Albanian traditional hat called PLiSi.🇦🇱🦅🫶🏻 pic.twitter.com/QOh0bMMR0k
— Ancient Dardania 🇦🇱🇽🇰🇺🇸🇬🇧🦅 (@AncientDardania) January 3, 2025
The incident has prompted Holden to take action, sending formal complaints to both the law school’s dean and the Yankees’ human resources department. In his letter to Dean Jelani Jefferson Exum, Holden questioned Balani’s suitability for the legal profession and urged disciplinary measures.
The controversy extends beyond Balani’s comments about Cardinal Dolan. Over the past year, he reportedly directed inflammatory remarks at various council members, including Holden himself and Councilwoman Vicky Paladino. Balani labeled Holden a “scumbag” and “two-bit sanctimonious sleazebag,” while referring to Paladino as “pond scum” and a “Proud Boys-loving political hack.”
"If you want to get your kids into Harvard and Heaven, send them to a Catholic school":
Archbishop of New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan shares his thoughts on the current state of faith in America. pic.twitter.com/MRhn3ktVFm
— FOX & Friends (@foxandfriends) February 22, 2025
Balani, who earned his sports management degree from NYU in 2022, has since had his X account deactivated. His professional background includes three years with the Yankees’ Stadium Tours & Special Events department, experience at professional tennis events, and political work including an internship with the House of Representatives.
The Yankees have acknowledged the situation through vice president of Human Resources Aryn Sobo, who informed Holden via email that while “although [Balani] denied being responsible for the cited posts, we encouraged him to be thoughtful and respectful when posting, and he assured us he has and will continue to do so.” The organization is still evaluating whether Balani’s actions violated their social media policies.
When contacted for comment, Balani declined to respond, and both St. John’s University and the Yankees did not provide statements regarding the situation.
