New York Knicks great and fan-favorite Charles Oakley was arraigned Tuesday on assault charges from the infamous February ejection from Madison Square Garden according to ESPN. Oakley was dragged out of the arena after getting into an altercation with security guards. They charged Oakley with misdemeanor assault and other charges before he was released without bail.
This was Oakley’s first appearance in court since the incident, which took place February 9th during a game against the Clippers. The game was broadcast on ESPN, which undoubtedly helped news of the altercation spread even quicker. Oakley was reportedly physically and verbally abusive to security guards who were near Knicks’ owner James Dolan. Dolan banned Oakley from MSG initially and fired his top security chief. Oakley’s beef with the Knicks isn’t over either, as he called on the organization to apologize to the fans for the poor season.
New York Daily News has a brief video interview with Oakley as he left the courthouse on Tuesday. Check it out below.
Oakley says he intends to fight the charges. He also told the Associated Press this week that he “did nothing wrong”. The free PR for Oakley hasn’t been terrible either. He has the support of commentators and players, both current and former. He was recently named a head coach for the newly established BIG3 League.
