Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman was joined by union workers Thursday to show their support for a proposed casino in Uniondale. Hundreds of people were also at the Nassau Coliseum to express their want for the casino.

Blakeman accused Hofstra University of working with rival casino bidders to block Nassau County's plan for the casino. He also accused the university of patronizing its own students.

This comes after a state judge recently ruled that Las Vegas Sands does not have a valid lease to operate Nassau Coliseum and the surrounding area, delivering another blow to the proposed resort and casino at the Nassau Hub.

A spokeswoman for Hofstra University released a statement saying, "The text messages shared by County Executive Blakeman reflect informal reactions to press articles with Hofstra University’s consultant and confirm the lack of merit to the Legislature’s ‘investigation.’

Hofstra University continues to believe that the public has a right to participate in decision making about redevelopment plans for the Nassau Hub. If Nassau County wished to embrace those principles, Nassau County would simply restart the process before the Planning Commission and the Legislature, as ordered by the Court."