Knicks lift ban on Oakley after arrest
(The Sports Xchange) Charles Oakley’s ban from Madison Square Garden lasted less than a week.
The New York Knicks legend was banned from the team’s home games last Friday following his highlypublicized altercation with security, who forcibly removed him from the arena during last Wednesday’s game.
Oakley was arrested and charged with three misdemeanor counts of assault and one misdemeanor count of trespassing.
Yesterday, a Madison Square Garden source told ESPN the ban was lifted.
Oakley’s reinstatement comes one day after NBA commissioner Adam Silver met with Knicks owner James Dolan and Oakley. Michael Jordan participated in the discussion via telephone.
“Both Mr. Oakley and Mr. Dolan were apologetic about the incident and subsequent comments, and their negative impact on the Knicks organization and the NBA,” Silver said in a statement after the meeting.
Dolan said Oakley was ejected because he was being verbally abusive to security while sitting near Dolan. After Oakley’s arrest, Dolan suggested Oakley might have an alcohol problem, which the former Knicks forward denied.
Oakley told the New York Post on Saturday following his release from jail that he was minding his own business when team security approached his seat.
Dolan fired Madison Square Garden security chief Frank Bendetto, who oversaw security for former Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama for the Secret Service, after the incident.