The bane of TV censors everywhere, live TV telecasts offer a seemingly endless number of ways that something can go haywire, no matter what the event being shown. F-bombs and accidental nudity are par for the course these days, but things played out a little differently for former NBA star Charles Oakley, who was harshly ejected from Madison Square Garden earlier tonight (and soon arrested) following an altercation during an on-air game between the Knicks and the Los Angeles Clippers. Check it out!
Strange, right? It's almost surprising that the action on the court stopped, but it would have likely been impossible to calm everything down after that kind of cacophony erupted in the stands. It's unclear exactly what occurred from just this video, but it appears Charles Oakley got into some kind of a verbal altercation in the seats near the spot where New York Knicks owner Charles Dolan was sitting, and that elevated into him straight up pushing a security guard. That's the point when Oakley stops being able to push anything, as he's grabbed and pulled out of the stands.
At this point, it's hard to tell if Charles Oakley did something that required further action, or if the security personnel around him were just sick of hearing him yell, as this is when he's taken to the ground. Several different cell phone videos were taken of the incident at the game, and Oakley can be heard talking about owner Charles Dolan, which ties into what it says in the tweet from ESPN host Rachel Nichols.
Even a stranger getting hauled off like that would have been distracting for players and fans, but this is Charles Oakley, who used to light it up inside that very building from 1988-1998. Not to mention all the others teams he played for before and after his Knicks stint. But anyone familiar with the former All-Star knows that he's not a man known for biting his tongue, and he's had a healthy feud with Charles Barkley going for a while now. It's not so hard to believe that someone else could be a target of his ire, especially during a basketball game.
Here was the statement released by the New York Knicks organization after the incident, according to Variety.
Charles Oakley came to the game tonight and behaved in a highly inappropriate and completely abusive manner. He has been ejected and is currently being arrested by the New York City Police Department. He was a great Knick and we hope he gets some help.
You'll no doubt be reading Charles Oakley's name in the headlines again soon for one reason or another. In the meantime, head to our midseason premiere schedule to see what the small screen has to offer in the near future.
