The Madison Square Garden Company has fired its security chief, executive chairman and New York Knicks owner James Dolan said Friday, and longtime power forward Charles Oakley has been indefinitely banned from the arena.
The moves come two days after Oakley was forcibly removed from a Knicks game and arrested.
Dolan said the firing of Frank Benedetto, formerly the senior vice president for security of MSG, was related to the Oakley incident.
“That was just a situation where the person didn’t work out and this was probably the last straw,” Dolan said on The Michael Kay Show on ESPN New York 98.7 FM. “We’re obviously looking at everything that we did here along the way and what happened. That’s one of the casualties.”
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Charles Oakley said he tried many times to fix his relationship with James Dolan before being arrested after an altercation in the stands near the Knicks owner at MSG on Wednesday night.
Charles Oakley said he tried many times to fix his relationship with James Dolan before being arrested after an altercation in the stands near the Knicks owner at MSG on Wednesday night.
Dolan said the policy regarding Oakley wasn’t necessarily a lifetime ban but that they needed to keep the Garden “a place that’s comfortable and safe.”
Oakley, 53, is a former Knicks player. He was arrested and charged with three counts of assault following an altercation in the stands near Dolan at MSG on Wednesday night.
“I certainly think Charles should be embarrassed,” Dolan said. “Should we be embarrassed? No, it’s sad. The staff at MSG were abused, don’t be embarrassed. Just refuse to be embarrassed.”
The incident occurred during a stoppage in play as Kristaps Porzingis was shooting free throws in the first quarter against the visiting Los Angeles Clippers.
A police source told ESPN that Oakley had purchased a seat a few rows behind Dolan and was directing comments at the Knicks owner, who eventually had security escort Oakley from the arena.
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