Charles Oakley wins right to jury decision on assault claim
NEW YORK – A jury can decide whether former New York Knicks star Charles Oakley was ejected from Madison Square Garden with excessive force when he was removed as a spectator to a 2017 game, an appeals court ruled Monday. Circuit Court of Appeals reinstated assault and battery claims Oakley made in a lawsuit brought against the team’s owners after his February 2017 removal from a game the Knicks lost to the Los Angeles Clippers. The appeals court, though, rejected Oakley's claims of defamation and false imprisonment. Oakley was a Knicks fan favorite from 1988 to 1998. It said Dolan and Madison Square Garden then launched a defamatory public relations campaign, accusing Oakley of abusing fans and staff, acting inappropriately and struggling with alcoholism.
Rangers buy out star goaltender Henrik Lundqvist's contract
FILE - In this Feb. 11, 2017, file photo, New York Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist celebrates his 400th career win, after an NHL hockey game against the Colorado Avalanche, in New York. The New York Rangers have bought out the contract of star goaltender Henrik Lundqvist. The New York Rangers bought out the contract of star goaltender Henrik Lundqvist on Wednesday, parting ways with one of their greatest players in franchise history after 15 mostly spectacular seasons. “We would like to thank Henrik for his immeasurable contributions to the New York Rangers,” Rangers President John Davidson said. His Henrik Lundqvist Foundation strives to create positive change in the lives of children and adults throughout the world through education and health services.
Knicks fined $50,000 for banning newspaper from news conference
Abbie Parr/Getty Images(CNN) - The New York Knicks were fined $50,000 by the NBA on Monday for violating league rules regarding equal access for members of the media. A reporter from the New York Daily News was banned from the introductory news conference for the team's two new players, RJ Barrett and Ignas Brazdeikis, despite having a credential to attend. The newspaper has long had an adversarial relationship with team owner James Dolan, and writer Stefan Bondy was banned from a news conference in December. According to Forbes, the New York Knicks are the most valuable franchise in the NBA, with a $4 billion valuation. "James Dolan, the owner of the Knicks franchise, previously has said that barring Daily News employees from media availabilities sends the Daily News 'a message.'