"They've got to apologize" - Charles Oakley refuses truce with James Dolan and Knicks after lawyers reach out

Former New York Knicks player Charles Oakley stands firm on his resolution not to set foot in Madison Square Garden. Oakley talked about his relationship with the Knicks owner James Dolan to the Associated Press, saying that Dolan's lawyers called his representatives, offering a truce for their past disputes.

"I guess their lawyer called my lawyer saying it's a good time for you to come back to the Garden," Oakley told AP on Friday.

In 2017, Oakley was involved in a tussle with the MSG security while sitting beside Dolan, resulting in him being ejected from the arena. The former Knicks star was also arrested for the scuffle, after which he has not returned to the arena.

The rebounding machine from the infamous 1990 Knicks team said he has zero interest in coming back to the Garden as long as he remains in a dispute with the franchise owner.

In response to James Dolan's truce calls Charles Oakley wants an apology from the franchise owner before he would consider setting foot in the stadium.

"They've got to apologize," Charles said. "We'll go from there. Can [Dolan] be man enough to say, 'Mistakes happen.' And he made one."

In addition to being arrested, Charles Oakley was also charged with demeanor assault charges, however, he was cleared in 2018. Last month, the former Knicks player decided to strike back at Dolan and filed a lawsuit charging the franchise owner of assault, battery, and false imprisonment.

Charles Oakley's relationship with James Dolan and the New York Knicks

The relationship between Charles Oakley and the New York Knicks is unusual. The former Knicks star has no animosity towards the franchise or the fans but the same cannot be said about his relationship with the owner.

There is a lot of tension between Charles Oakley and James Dolan due to the lawsuit. In addition, the former Knicks player has not forgotten what damage his arrest in 2017 did to his life (via the AP):

"Just be transparent over what you put someone through and how you changed their life. This definitely changed my life. My daughter Googled me and they show them pulling me out of the Garden. That is bad. That is hell for a kid to see that."

He reaffirmed that the past seven years have been a struggle for him as the league did not step in to help his case. However, he was happy and grateful to have the city and the fans behind him.

Oakley confirmed that he will always be a supporter of the Knicks but he won't come to any games at MSG until he receives an apology from Dolan. As to whether he will receive one remains to be seen.