Charles Oakley has rejected a plea deal regarding an incident at Madison Square Garden which saw the former player get into an altercation with security at a Knicks game. The plea deal would have allowed charges to be dropped if Oakley stayed out of trouble for six months.
Instead, the big man will now have to go to trial on August 4th. He is being charged with assault, aggravated harassment, criminal trespass, and harassment. The decision was reported by Shayna Jacobs of the New York Daily News.
After the initial incident which saw Oakley push security at the Garden, the Knicks issued a press release saying he had been abusive to staff. They also implied that it stemmed from his use of alcohol.
Oakley was initially banned from MSG for the incident. After mediation from Adam Silver and Michael Jordan, however, the ban was lifted after about one week.
Oakley has been a prominent critic of the Knicks for years, despite his history as a fan favorite for the team. Fans came to his support after the MSG altercation, as well, even selling T-Shirts as a form of protest towards Knicks owner James Dolan.
