I'm sure you've all heard about this moron NBA referee who, over the last 2 seasons, has been betting on games that he refereed...NEW YORK - David Stern led the NBA through drug problems and work stoppages. Now his league faces the stigma of a point-shaving scandal involving a referee.
The NBA acknowledged Friday that the FBI is investigating Tim Donaghy for betting on games, including ones in which he officiated.
According to a law enforcement official, authorities are examining whether the referee made calls to affect the point spread in games on which he or associates had wagered over the past two seasons.
The referee had a gambling problem and was approached by low-level mob associates through an acquaintance, said the official, who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.
I don't really know why everybody's so shocked. The NBA is rife with strong gang associations, rap industry-associated violence, and general less-than-responsible behavior from it's players. I'm sort of surprised the refs haven't fallen into the gang/thug lifestyle before now.
Of course, what this guy did was way worse than what Pete Rose supposedly did. This guy actually had a direct affect on the outcome where as a manager, Pete could only watch...and besides, if Pete did bet on his own team, he was betting to win and it was never suggested that he threw a game the way this guy could have orchestrated.
The fallout from this is that in all pro sports but especially NBA, every close call, every objectionable call, every technical foul, and every ejection will automatically be met with suspicion of, "Why did he make that horrible call? He must have had money on the game."
I think referees do a terrific job of calling games at the college and pro levels. It's a shame one guy can breech the most sacred trust of organized sports, which is, the expectation of the fan that the game on the court/field is clean, and cast years of doubt as to the integrity of all officials.
1 comment:
This is deplorable. This man has single-handedly ruined the reputation of an entire industry. Officials have a difficult task at best, since every call or non-call is questioned by fans, players, coaches and most importantly , the media. Integrity is a must in officiating. All of the above players and coaches must know that each official will do his best, and even if it is thought that the wrong call was made, it cannot be believed that illegalities are in play.
The media constantly explores and challenges calls. Instant replay, slo-mo, etc have all gone to aid and undermine officiating. These tools are great and help a viewer see a play in great detail, however, the officail making the call, only has a split second at live speed to make his determination. Never as easy as it looks.
I am an official. I do football, baseball, and basketball. I can already see results and hear the comments based on this story. This "bozo" and his gambling will affect officiating for along time. I am currently working a summer camp for basketball. Last night my partner made a call. The fans in the stands all started screaming (as normal) then I heard 1 man shouting about my partners gambling on the outcome of this summer league pickup game. The fan kept this line going for the rest of the game, and afterwards approached us, accusing both of us of rigging the outcome. I felt ill at the accusations, and felt dirty that I had been lumped in with a scum-bag (the NBA guy not my partner). Alas, I understood his point of view, and just let it go.
This official should be eliminated from the sport. He could have, and probably did effect games. As it goes, he might also have effected players incomes,and livelyhoods since most players in the NBA have playoff incentives and since they do get extra income from the league in those games. Imagine a scenario where a player has a chance to acheive a personnel goal and get millions in bonus money, only to be thwarted by the rogue official who has a bet on the other team and knows that by fouling out this player, he will cover and win his bet. Lawsuits are forthcoming just wait.
Please know that officials are decent human beings. Please know that we operate with the utmost of integrity in all situations. We all strive to make the right call every time, but do acknowledge that errors and mistakes happen in officiating. When I say all, I am refering to the vast majority of officials, not the gambling impregnated scuzz ball of this article, or his type.
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