Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden was not Charles Oakley’s first physical altercation with a team of security officers.
The former Knick, then an assistant coach for the Charlotte Bobcats, said he suffered “a gang-style beatdown” in 2010 by a Las Vegas hotel and casino’s security team stemming from a disagreement over the pool’s closing time. In a lawsuit filed a year later, Oakley contended he was “wrestled to the ground, hit, punched and shoved” and suffered injuries that cut short his fledgling NBA coaching career.
The Aria hotel and casino responded in a countersuit that accused Oakley of instigating the afternoon poolside skirmish.