If Charles Oakley wants to see a Knicks home game in the next 12 months, it’ll have to be on cable. The Knicks legend reached a plea agreement on charges stemming from the February 8 fracas involving Knicks owner James Dolan and a few of the Madison Square Garden security guards, in which the 10-year Knicks veteran, sitting a few rows behind the owner, was accused of heckling Dolan, When security came to remove Oakley, a fight ensued.
The noted modern NBA critic was in court today to deal with the charges stemming from the fracas, which included assault, trespassing and harassment. As a part of his plea agreement with prosecutors, Oakley agreed to staying out of trouble for the next six months and also agreed to a one-year ban from Madison Square Garden. If Oakley complies with those terms, the charges will be dropped and erased from his record.
Oakley, prior to today, said that he had done nothing wrong and that he had felt “disrespected” by the whole situation. An impromptu meeting was set between NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, Charlotte Hornets owner and personal friend of Oakley’s Michael Jordan and Oakley to broker some sort of peace between the league and one of its more noted enforcers … a meeting at which Oakley later said that nothing was really accomplished.
