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“At some point, the lies have got to stop.”
Those are the words of former New York Knicks star Mark Jackson after a report claiming he was banned from the team plane.
Jackson, who was fired by ESPN in July, was a candidate for a job with MSG Network doing spot appearances in place of Clyde Frazier to call Knicks games.
The Andrew Marchand of the New York Post stated that Jackson was out of the running because he had been banned from flying with the team.
“MSG Networks planned on having Jackson occasionally fill in for Clyde Frazier this season,” Marchand reported. “But Knicks management, led by team president Leon Rose, put a kibosh on the arrangement in part due to an old quarrel with Jackson and a current Knicks assistant coach, according to sources.”
Marchand claims the banning stems from an incident involving Jackson and current Knicks assistant Darren Erman, who previously worked for Jackson with the Golden State Warriors.
Jackson, however, says the report is a lie.
“Today, a report came out that I was fired or dismissed from calling Knicks games,” Jackson said in an Instagram post. “Honored and privileged to have an offer bestowed upon me to back up the legend Walt Clyde Frazier calling Knick games. Over a week ago, I turned that job down. You heard what I said: More than a week ago, I turned the job down due to the fact that it wasn’t the ideal conditions, and it wasn’t the ideal time for me.”
Jackson then said that he’d be open to potentially calling games in the future. He also praised Marchand’s persistence.
“I give the reporter credit, four calls yesterday from reporters trying to get a quote from me,” he continued. “I did not respond because I don’t play that game. I let it alone thinking that it’ll die and nobody will know what happened. But over a week ago, I turned the job down.”