Reports emerged on Wednesday that former New York Knicks star and longtime broadcaster Mark Jackson will not be a fill-in on MSG Network broadcasts this season. That is true, but Jackson took to social media to clear the air on Wednesday night, stating that the circumstances surrounding the report are inaccurate.
Andrew Marchand of the New York Post broke the news, revealing that Jackson would not be calling MSG Network games this season as originally anticipated because the Knicks objected to Jackson being on the team’s charter plane.
According to Marchand, this is partly due to “an old quarrel” between Jackson and an assistant coach on Tom Thibodeau’s staff.
Jackson took to Instagram to push back against this narrative, stating that he actually turned down the job weeks ago.
“Come on man, come on,” said Jackson. “At some point, the lies have got to stop. I have sat back year after year after year listening to lies questioning me as a man. What I stand for, what I was raised on. I sat back and didn’t say anything.
“Today, a report came out that fired or dismissed from calling Knicks games. Honored and privileged to have an offer bestowed on me to back up the legend Walt Clyde Frazier calling Knick games. Over a week ago I turned that job down. It wasn’t the ideal conditions. It wasn’t the ideal time for me.”
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Despite reportedly turning the job down, Jackson further added that he isn’t ruling out a role with the MSG Network in the future.
“They say once a Knick always a Knick. I bleed inside of me blue and orange. I dreamed of playing for the Knicks, calling Knick games. It would have been a dream accomplishment, it just didn’t work out. But you never know what the future holds.”
It’s obviously unclear where the truth lies here in this situation, whether Jackson did indeed already turn down the job or if there was a reason why he won’t end up calling games for the Knicks.
Regardless, Jackson is pretty clearly stating that Marchand’s report is false, and it will be interesting to see if further information emerges on this situation moving forward.
