Criminal charges against Charles Oakley dismissed a year after MSG incident
Criminal charges against former New York Knicks player Charles Oakley stemming from an incident at Madison Square Garden last season have been dismissed and sealed, according to ESPN’s Ian Begley.
Oakley was arrested following an altercation with MSG security after allegedly “going after” Knicks owner James Dolan during a nationally televised game against the Los Angeles Clippers last February. He was charged with misdemeanor assault, harassment and trespassing. Oakley accepted a plea agreement in August that would free him of all charges if he stayed out of trouble for six months.
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That adjournment in contemplation of dismissal ended on Friday, when the case was dismissed.
“Mr. Oakley has been completely vindicated,” the former Knicks forward’s lawyer, Alex Spiro, told ESPN. The New York legend lives on.”
As part of his plea deal, Oakley is still banned from Madison Square Garden for six more months.
Last year’s incident led to a public war of words between Dolan and Oakley, with the Knicks owner calling his former player “an alcoholic” and Oakley comparing Dolan to disgraced former Clippers owner Donald Sterling. NBA commissioner Adam Silver called on Michael Jordan to help broker the peace between his former teammate and fellow owner, but the resolution was short-lived.
Oakley filed a civil lawsuit against Dolan and the Knicks in September, accusing MSG personnel of assault, battery and false imprisonment and charging the owner with defamation. The suit is pending.
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Ben Rohrbach is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at rohrbach_ben@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @brohrbach
