Charles Oakley accepts plea deal, cleared of all charges for MSG incident

The embarrassing incident at Madison Square Garden involving Charles Oakley has resolved itself. Oakley has reportedly been cleared of all charges.

The New York Knicks had a disastrous 2016-17 NBA season. They were the laughing-stock of the Eastern Conference by a wide margin. Besides the complete debacle of Phil Jackson running the front office, the biggest eyesore for the 2016-17 Knicks had to be the Charles Oakley incident.

Several months later, it seems that the controversy surrounding the former Knicks big man at Madison Square Garden mid-season is resolving itself. According to ESPN’s Ian Begley, “Charles Oakley accepted a deal in court today that essentially clears him of charges as long as he stays out of trouble for 6 months.”

Begley would add one caveat to the plea for Oakley, “that Charles Oakley can’t be in Madison Square Garden for one year.” Thankfully this unnecessary ice cream headache is over with.

Madison Square Garden may be basketball Mecca in the NBA, but being told not to go there isn’t a big ask out of Oakley. He probably doesn’t want to go back anyway after how he was treated. Oakley went there to watch an NBA game, not get involved in an impromptu professional wrestling match with security.

It’s better for all parties involved to have this wrapped up before training camp starts. New York has to turn the page on an atrocious season by any means necessary. Hiring general manager Scott Perry away from the Sacramento Kings was an excellent signing. However, Carmelo Anthony isn’t as happy as he once was in New York City.

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Oakley shouldn’t have to endorse the Knicks this winter. If he’s quiet about it, this might finally go away. He does however plan to pursue legal action against Knicks owner James Dolan, but that doesn’t come as any surprise. The Knicks are always entertaining, even if the product on the court hovers around horrible.