Report: MSG Fires Head of Security After Oakley Incident

The Knicks and James Dolan are a nightmare. They remind the world of that on an almost nightly basis, but Wednesday marked a new low point for a franchise that is an innovator in the field, and not because of anything the team did on the floor during a loss to the Clippers. Charles Oakley was escorted out of Madison Square Garden after getting into a shoving match with security right on the Garden floor; he was seated some two rows from Dolan, who has pursued a long-running, petty, and inexplicable feud with the beloved former Knick. There are differing sides to the story—MSG says Oakley was drunk and abusive towards Dolan, while Oakley says he was minding his own business when security got in his face and told him he had to leave—but there is one thing we can all agree on: the Knicks have fucked this whole thing up from Jump Street. They continue to do so.

First, minutes after the whole fiasco, Knicks PR released a statement in which it was implied that the incident occurred because Oakley was an alcoholic. Knicks president Phil Jackson has been openly taking shots at Carmelo Anthony and has nowhere to be found—for days!—but the team snapped into action to bury a beloved former player. Who knows where this story goes if they don't make that statement, but if you are trying to run damage control it's usually best not to draw further attention to the situation. But this is not the Knicks way.

Not content with smearing a guy they just escorted out of the building in handcuffs, Knicks PR doubled-down on their Oakley's A Drunk gambit releasing another statement later in the day.

pic.twitter.com/H3zOdegHRq
— NY_KnicksPR (@NY_KnicksPR) February 9, 2017

Totally unnecessary! The story was finally starting to die down and the Knicks gave it some more legs at the end of the day.

Which brings us to Friday, and a report that the head of Madison Square Garden security, Frank Benedetto was fired this morning. Why? Who knows, but punishing him doesn't really line up with the team's version of facts, unless the team fired him because he did not adequately handle a situation with an out-of-control former professional athlete who is enormous, possibly drunk, and being abusive towards the boss man. Whatever the case, he will likely find a much better job shortly:

Benedetto took over the top security post after serving as a top U.S. Secret Service official who was credited with helping oversee the safety of Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama while serving as Assistant Special Agent in Charge of Presidential Protection.

When asked about the firing a Garden spokesman said "We don't comment on employees that have left the company," confirming that not only was Benedetto fired, but also that the Knicks just cannot get out of their own way.

[DNA Info]