NEW YORK — An ongoing legal dispute has arisen between former Knicks player Charles Oakley and the Madison Square Garden organization concerning revisions made to Oakley’s book. According to a recent court filing, Oakley’s attorney allegedly altered parts of the manuscript to present a narrative fundamentally different from the actual events surrounding his arrest following an altercation at Madison Square Garden.
The incident, which took place on February 9, 2017, saw Oakley involved in a scuffle with arena security personnel in close proximity to James Dolan, the executive chairman of Madison Square Garden. Oakley ultimately left the venue in handcuffs. This confrontation stemmed from Oakley’s strained relationship with Dolan, heightened by the former player’s criticisms of the Knicks. He has since lodged assault and battery claims against Dolan, although his case has faced dismissal twice already.
The recent court submission includes edited segments from Oakley’s autobiography, “The Last Enforcer,” which were modified by attorney Douglas Wigdor prior to submission to the publisher. Notably, in one excerpt, Oakley described questioning security personnel about his removal from a game against the Los Angeles Clippers. Originally, he claimed he was told to leave because “someone” had ordered it; however, the word “someone” was replaced with “Dolan” in the final draft.
In another edited part of the manuscript, Oakley’s use of the word “slipped” was changed to “was eventually pushed down by Dolan’s guys.” The MSG organization asserted that these alterations were significant and not mere minor adjustments, claiming that Wigdor crafted the final version of Oakley’s story to distort the truth as presented in earlier drafts of the autobiography. They argue that this manipulation could jeopardize Oakley’s case.
The filing further asserted that both Oakley and ghostwriter Frank Isola had confirmed that the manuscript was composed from verbatim notes taken during frequent interviews with Oakley, emphasizing their aim for accuracy, which Oakley reviewed before publication. However, in response to the allegations, Wigdor maintained the integrity of the book’s edited version released in 2022. He stated, “The final version of the book is consistent with Oakley’s testimony as well as the evidence and we are confident that a jury will agree.” Wigdor expressed confidence that the jury would ultimately see Dolan as the individual attempting to create a false narrative regarding the use of force against Oakley during the incident at Madison Square Garden.
