Have you ever bet on a game and though that the point spread was in your favor, but somehow you lost anyway and figured the game must be rigged? Now that the NBA referee that was just busted for rigging games, do you think there are more corrupt referees in other sports?
Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=Ar1QZZKW_uRqGTBFfT2XBjc5nYcB?slug=aw-donaghy072007&prov=yhoo&type=lgns
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/basketball/2008/06/10/2008-06-10_exreferee_tim_donaghy_blows_whistle_on_n.html
Tuesday, June 10th 2008, 4:10 PM
Tim Donaghy, who pleaded guilty to charges of betting on games he officiated, is now airing NBA’s dirty laundry. Murphy/Getty
Tim Donaghy, who pleaded guilty to charges of betting on games he officiated, is now airing NBA’s dirty laundry.
Ex-NBA referee Tim Donaghy told the feds two refs fixed the outcome of one playoff series – and that officials were told not to eject star players from games for fear of hurting ticket sales.
The bombshell allegations are contained in a court document filed Tuesday by Donaghy’s lawyer. It describes the “inner workings" of the NBA in which top league executives used referees to manipulate games.
Donaghy, who pleaded guilty in Brooklyn Federal Court to charges of betting on games he officiated, told FBI agents “league officials would tell referees that they should withhold calling technical fouls on certain star players because doing so hurt ticket sales and television ratings," the document said.
Donaghy claims he was told that two refs who were “company men” acting in the interest of the NBA conspired to extend a playoff series in 2002 to a seventh game.
The referees allegedly ignored flagrant fouls committed by the team that needed to win. They also reportedly called "made-up fouls" against the other team which led to the ejection of two of their players. The team favored by the refs won that night and the next game to win the series.
The document does not name the teams. The Nets were in that playoff series, losing the championship finals to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Donaghy also claimed a supervising referee told refs that an unidentified NBA executive did not want them to call technical fouls on star players or boot them from the game.
Donaghy told feds the league reprimanded a referee who disobeyed that edict in January 2000 and ejected an unnamed star player from a game in the first quarter.
Lawyer John Lauro filed the four-page letter to Federal Judge Carol Amon because none of the information was included in the government’s letter to the judge seeking leniency for Donaghy when he is sentenced next month.
Lauro has gone to war against Brooklyn federal prosecutors for offering plea deals to Donaghy’s betting accomplices that give them less time than the disgraced ref, despite his extensive cooperation.
Donaghy claims referees have accepted autographs, free merchandise and meals from team coaches and managers. He told probers one referee used a team’s practice facility to exercise and another played tennis with an NBA coach.
"These activities were against NBA rules, indeed, such inappropriate relationships could influence the outcome of games," Lauro wrote.
Lauro said he withheld the names of the teams, referees and league officials because the feds may still investigate the allegations.
there’s another article on ESPN.com
check this out
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3436401
by the way, everyone star this question
This is as bad as when the Government claiming that Oswald was the only shooter in the JFK Assassination. The NBA is doing everything they can to cover up the obvious. There was more than 1 Ref involved.
Refs report finds only Donaghy committed crimes
By BRIAN MAHONEY, AP Basketball
NEW YORK (AP)—A review of the NBA’s officiating program found no evidence of illegal activity by any referee other than Tim Donaghy, though it recommended significant changes for monitoring gambling and game integrity.
The report, compiled over 14 months by former federal prosecutor Lawrence Pedowitz and released Thursday, called for the creation of a “culture of compliance” and closer monitoring of games for suspicious activity.
Pedowitz made three key recommendations to the league: create a hot line to anonymously raise questions about gambling and game integrity issues; make available any complaints the league receives about refs—beginning in the 2008-09 playoffs—to both teams to avoid suspicions of bias; provide more access to referees for both fans and media.
The report also suggests mandatory gambling education for players. “We believe that gambling can expose the players and the League to significant risks, and therefore it is important that players be educated regarding those risks,” the report says.
ADVERTISEMENT
Commissioner David Stern ordered the investigation last year after former referee Donaghy was charged with betting on games he officiated and providing inside information to gambling associates to win their bets. He’s currently serving a 15-month sentence after pleading guilty to conspiracy to engage in wire fraud and transmitting betting information through interstate commerce.
“These measures are a beginning, not an end,” Stern said in a statement. “We know that the NBA’s success hinges on the integrity of our sport and on competition that allows teams to win based on their own skill and performance. We expect nothing less from our referees than the highest level of accuracy, professionalism and integrity.”
The report agreed with the federal government that there was no evidence that Donaghy made any calls to affect the outcome of games after studying his work in 17 of them, including 16 during the 2006-07 in which it was believed Donaghy made picks.
Pedowitz’s firm conducted more than 200 interviews with referees, and team and league personnel to complete the 133-page report. And Stern has asked Pedowitz to review the new program at the end of the season.
The report’s release was delayed in response to Donaghy’s accusations, so some of the changes Pedowitz suggested already have been made, such as the restructuring of the referees operations department and the clarifying of rules involving casino gambling.
Stern already was aware through Pedowitz’s interviews that nearly all his referees had violated some form of the gambling rules, so Stern said last year he would change them to make them more easily enforceable. Previously, referees only were allowed to gamble at a race track during the offseason and couldn’t enter the gaming section of a casino.
Referees are now allowed in the offseason to bet at a race track, off-track betting establishment or a casino—though still not the sports book. However, a referee must notify the league’s security department within 24 hours of placing such a bet.
Although the report found referees broke league rules involving casino gambling, none of their activities reached the criminal level. It disputed Donaghy’s allegations of specific misconduct and favoritism toward certain players and teams, but warned “because the potential for referee bias remains a threat to the integrity of the game, the League can do more.”
Army Major General (Ret.) Ronald L. Johnson, who served 32 years in the Army, was hired over the summer as senior vice president, referee operations in response to the investigation. Longtime ref Bernie Fryer became the NBA’s vice president and director of officials, and Joe Borgia was appointed vice president of referee operations.
The NBA learned in June 2007 that the FBI was investigating Donaghy. Though the commissioner said from the start that Donaghy was the only criminal, he appointed Pedowitz and his firm two months later to investigate the entire referee operations department.
Pedowitz’s team completed its work months ago. However, the league was advised not to release its findings until the federal government finished its investigation. The league had hoped Donaghy would agree to speak to the investigators, but he never did.
The report was further delayed after Stern ordered referees to be re-interviewed after Donaghy’s lawyer released a letter during the NBA finals accusing officials of rigging playoff series in 2002 and ‘05 to ensure better TV ratings.
I have been saying the Ref’s decide too many games for at leat 5 years now. This is just the first little peice of proof. And I bet there is more to come.
If this were a real sport there would be less fouls called late in games and in the playoffs….but thats just not the case.
Anyone who thinks the two biggest market teams meeting in the finals is a coincidence, is not paying attention.
Im not saying every game is "fixed"
Just that referees decide the out come more than the players do.
Sometimes I think they favor an outcome that could potentially be worth millions of dollars.
Like having a series extend to 6-7 games, or having more markatable teams succeed over less marketable ones.
Plus there has always been suspicion of Stern. Labron going to Clevland, Ewing to the Knicks….people have suspected the draft was fixed for a while.
More suspicion here than any other sport, can’t argue that.
Are the Utah Jazz going to change their name to the Utah Floppers?Check the Videos out.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9StU1aTrns8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hSaX7zNCMY
Nba,where referees bet on games happens.
EnergySolutions Arena, where referees become MVPs happens.
NBA, where losing a tooth and no foul called happens.
The Jazz the dirty team!!!
Ashleigh.T-mac never Flops.Yes I;m a Rocket Fan.
That rebound was bad coaching for not having Dikembe Mutombo or Chuck Hayes in the Game.