News that New York Knicks franchise favorite Charles Oakley had accepted a plea deal in relation to his February fracas at Madison Square Garden came with a report Friday that the Knicks tried to force the former star into anger management classes.
A lawyer for MSG requested the court require Oakley attend three weeks of anger management counseling, according to a letter obtained by ESPN's Arash Markazi.
The letter, sent to Manhattan assistant district attorney Ryan Lipes, also reportedly requested Oakley perform 10 days of community service and stay 1,000 feet from the MSG staff he had the altercation with.
Oakley's plea deal, widely reported Friday, will lead to misdemeanor assault and harassment charges being dropped if he stays out of trouble for six months and complies with his prohibition from Madison Square Garden for one year.
Oakley's lawyer, Alex Spiro, however, didn't rule out litigation against the Knicks, saying his client "will be pursuing all civil remedies against (MSG chairman James) Dolan based on this incident."
Oakley was forcibly removed from a Feb. 8 home game against the Los Angeles Clippers and arrested after a verbal altercation with Dolan and Garden security staff. In the immediate aftermath, Dolan took to local radio and suggested Oakley has alcohol and "personality problems."
For his part, Oakley has said he did nothing to provoke the arrest and has compared Dolan to disgraced former Clippers owner Donald Sterling. Oakley played for the Knicks from 1988-98, helping lead the team to the 1994 NBA Finals and appearing in one All-Star Game.
