Donaghy book canceled over liability

[AussieFanKurt]

I would have read this book if it came out



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By By Sam Alipour
ESPN The Magazine
Archive (http://search.espn.go.com/sam-alipour/) | Contact (http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=mailform/alipour)
Former NBA referee Tim Donaghy's tell-all book has been cancelled by Triumph Books and parent company Random House, the publisher said.
"Blowing the Whistle: The Culture of Fraud in the NBA" was slated for publication later this month. The book was to have covered Donaghy's experience as an NBA referee and the events leading up to his conviction on federal wire fraud charges.
During the process of editing and vetting the manuscript, which Triumph received from Donaghy in the spring, Random House and its imprint made the joint decision to cancel the book out of "concerns over potential liability," according to an e-mail from a Triumph representative.
Donaghy, 42, remains behind bars for a probation violation following his 15 month prison sentence.
A New York judge sentenced Donaghy last year after the referee said he took thousands of dollars from a professional gambler in exchange for inside tips on NBA games -- including games he worked. Donaghy said he was a gambling addict.
He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to engage in wire fraud and transmitting betting information through interstate commerce in the tips-for-payoffs scheme.
He was released from a federal prison in Pensacola to a halfway house in June. He was scheduled for release on Oct. 24.
But Donaghy was sent back to prison in August when he was accused of violating his federal probation by not showing up for work, the U.S. Marshals Service said. His lawyer said it was all a misunderstanding.
Sam Alipour is a writer for ESPN The Magazine. Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

[pauls931]

The NBA has a kick ass legal team...

[Culburn369]

If Donagey is alive this time next year I'll leave this Forum for three months.

[ambchang]

Just do like OJ.

If the NBA really was crooked, it would have ....

[picc84]

NBA big boy'd them.

[Trainwreck2100]

Just change some words and turn it into a work of "fiction"

[Wombatzu]

Just change some words and turn it into a work of "fiction"

You mean, "change a few words because it is a work of fiction."

[spurs_fan_in_exile]

If Donagey is alive this time next year I'll leave this Forum for three months.

I never thought I'd be willing to take a bullet for someone but I'm suddenly reconsidering all of that.

[stretch]

lol

[NRHector]

I never thought I'd be willing to take a bullet for someone but I'm suddenly reconsidering all of that.:rollin

[Galileo]

Deadspin: Excerpts From The Book The NBA Doesn't Want You To Read

http://deadspin.com/5392067/excerpts-from-the-book-the-nba-doesnt-want-you-to-read

MORE DISCUSSION HERE:

http://www.spurstalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=137891

"The 2002 Western Conference Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Sacramento Kings presents a stunning example of game and series manipulation at its ugliest. As the teams prepared for Game 6 at the Staples Center, Sacramento had a 3–2 lead in the series. The referees assigned to work Game 6 were Dick Bavetta, Bob Delaney (former undercover FBI agent), and Ted Bernhardt. As soon as the referees for the game were chosen, the rest of us knew immediately that there would be a Game 7. A prolonged series was good for the league, good for the networks, and good for the game. Oh, and one more thing: it was great for the big-market, star-studded Los Angeles Lakers.

In the pregame meeting prior to Game 6, the league office sent down word that certain calls-calls that would have benefitted the Lakers — were being missed by the referees. This was the type of not-so-subtle information that I and other referees were left to interpret. After receiving the dispatch, Bavetta openly talked about the fact that the league wanted a Game 7.

"If we give the benefit of the calls to the team that's down in the series, nobody's going to complain. The series will be even at three apiece, and then the better team can win Game 7," Bavetta stated.

As history shows, Sacramento lost Game 6 in a wild come-from-behind thriller that saw the Lakers repeatedly sent to the foul line by the referees. For other NBA referees watching the game on television, it was a shameful performance by Bavetta's crew, one of the most poorly officiated games of all time."

"The 2002 series certainly wasn't the first or last time Bavetta weighed in on an important game. He also worked Game 7 of the 2000 Western Conference Finals between the Lakers and the Trail Blazers. The Lakers were down by 13 at the start of the fourth quarter when Bavetta went to work. The Lakers outscored Portland 31–13 in the fourth quarter and went on to win the game and the series. It certainly didn't hurt the Lakers that they got to shoot 37 free throws compared to a paltry 16 for the Trail Blazers."

ONE OF THE BEST VIDEOS OF ALL TIME:

NBA: Where Rigged Games Happens
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4t5RMFt5u8&feature=player_embedded

Note - You can hear the voice of Ralph Nader in the background. The ref, Bob Delaney, who lets Kobe Bryant take Mike Bibby's head off, is a former undercover FBI agent.

The anti-small market NBA conspiracy against teams like the Kings, Spurs and Bucks has been exposed!

[Udokafan05]

This book sounds awesome. It needs to be published.

[Culburn369]

Stupid people think the NBA only rigged games when it was the Lakers involved.

Or the Spurs.

[AussieFanKurt]

The NBA wouldn't rig games for shithouse teams though thus why only some teams have been beneficiaries

[Jacob1983]

Donaghy either has a mental disorder or his claims are legit. I'm gonna go with his claims being legit. Besides, what does he have to lose? I think it's sad but hilarious how the NBA and Lord Stern are trying to sweep this under the rug. Personally, I love what Donaghy is doing. He's just proving what we all had suspicions about. I hope he takes down as many refs as he can. If other refs go down like he did, then it will make me feel a little better about the 2006 NBA Finals.

[monosylab1k]

Nobody believed Canseco, they questioned his credibility, etc. Turns out Canseco was right about everybody, including A-Rod.

I'm willing to believe this guy. I can understand if he was lying to cover his ass and avoid jail time. But that's come and gone and he's probably taking it up the tailpipe in the prison showers at this very moment. What reason does he have to make this shit up now?

[DUNCANownsKOBE2]

His excerpts make perfect sense. Dick Bavetta is the egotistical nutty attention whore we all thought he was, and that officials make calls way too much on emotion and bias. He didn't say anything extremely radical.

[monosylab1k]

At this point, all it takes is one more ref to validate Donaghy's claims, and this whole thing becomes a true shitstorm.

I always said that the David Stern era of the NBA would end in the same fashion as the Warden from Shawshank - Feds pounding on the door to the Commisioner's office, and David Stern panicking and putting a shotgun into his mouth and pulling the trigger as they break in.

[superdude882]

Deadspin: Excerpts From The Book The NBA Doesn't Want You To Read

http://deadspin.com/5392067/excerpts-from-the-book-the-nba-doesnt-want-you-to-read

MORE DISCUSSION HERE:

http://www.spurstalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=137891

"The 2002 Western Conference Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Sacramento Kings presents a stunning example of game and series manipulation at its ugliest. As the teams prepared for Game 6 at the Staples Center, Sacramento had a 3–2 lead in the series. The referees assigned to work Game 6 were Dick Bavetta, Bob Delaney (former undercover FBI agent), and Ted Bernhardt. As soon as the referees for the game were chosen, the rest of us knew immediately that there would be a Game 7. A prolonged series was good for the league, good for the networks, and good for the game. Oh, and one more thing: it was great for the big-market, star-studded Los Angeles Lakers.

In the pregame meeting prior to Game 6, the league office sent down word that certain calls-calls that would have benefitted the Lakers — were being missed by the referees. This was the type of not-so-subtle information that I and other referees were left to interpret. After receiving the dispatch, Bavetta openly talked about the fact that the league wanted a Game 7.

"If we give the benefit of the calls to the team that's down in the series, nobody's going to complain. The series will be even at three apiece, and then the better team can win Game 7," Bavetta stated.

As history shows, Sacramento lost Game 6 in a wild come-from-behind thriller that saw the Lakers repeatedly sent to the foul line by the referees. For other NBA referees watching the game on television, it was a shameful performance by Bavetta's crew, one of the most poorly officiated games of all time."

"The 2002 series certainly wasn't the first or last time Bavetta weighed in on an important game. He also worked Game 7 of the 2000 Western Conference Finals between the Lakers and the Trail Blazers. The Lakers were down by 13 at the start of the fourth quarter when Bavetta went to work. The Lakers outscored Portland 31–13 in the fourth quarter and went on to win the game and the series. It certainly didn't hurt the Lakers that they got to shoot 37 free throws compared to a paltry 16 for the Trail Blazers."

ONE OF THE BEST VIDEOS OF ALL TIME:

NBA: Where Rigged Games Happens
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4t5RMFt5u8&feature=player_embedded

Note - You can hear the voice of Ralph Nader in the background. The ref, Bob Delaney, who lets Kobe Bryant take Mike Bibby's head off, is a former undercover FBI agent.

The anti-small market NBA conspiracy against teams like the Kings, Spurs and Bucks has been exposed!



http://deadspin.com/5392067/excerpts-from-the-book-the-nba-doesnt-want-you-to-read

did you read all the excerpts? pretty interesting stuff

My favorite Tommy Nunez story is from the 2007 playoffs when the San Antonio Spurs were able to get past the Phoenix Suns in the second round. Of course, what many fans didn't know was that Phoenix had someone working against them behind the scenes. Nunez was the group supervisor for that playoff series, and he definitely had a rooting interest.
Nunez loved the Hispanic community in San Antonio and had a lot of friends there. He had been a referee for 30 years and loved being on the road; in fact, he said that the whole reason he had become a group supervisor was to keep getting out of the house. So Nunez wanted to come back to San Antonio for the conference finals. Plus, he, like many other referees, disliked Suns owner Robert Sarver for the way he treated officials. Both of these things came into play when he prepared the referees for the games in the staff meetings. I remember laughing with him and saying, "You would love to keep coming back here." He was pointing out everything that Phoenix was able to get away with and never once told us to look for anything in regard to San Antonio. Nunez should have a championship ring on his finger.

[RedsLakers24]

Fire all the refs and get new ones, if they dont everybody will keep questioning the officials

[sabar]

Probably lying. Dude's a felon about to get out of prison, he isn't getting a job that pays anywhere near what he got his ref days. A nice book deal will get him a check and open up other avenues.

Regardless, I wouldn't be surprised that it's true. No way another ref confirms the stuff unless they get busted too. But the guy's a crook, I'd take his word with a grain of salt.

[greyforest]

At this point, all it takes is one more ref to validate Donaghy's claims, and this whole thing becomes a true shitstorm.

the NBA has already validated it by trying to shut down the book

[Obstructed_View]

Considering the outrageous made-up half truths people put into books that actually get published, I'd say that if the publisher declines to release the book for "liability" reasons, it's because they figure they're going to get their asses handed to them in court. It's not like the NBA has been sending out threats or silencing witnesses. In truth, they have pretty much deferred to the federal investigation in all matters relating to this. I have a really hard time believing anything he says is worth the time it takes to read.

The officiating in the last seven or eight minutes of the Denver/Portland game were about as bad as officiating gets, and it would be easy for someone to make a case that they refs were trying to influence the outcome, but there's no way in hell the NBA's doing that for a game at the beginning of the season, so you kind of have to accept that the refs are going to have bad nights just like the players do.

[Obstructed_View]

the NBA has already validated it by trying to shut down the book

Yeah don't let facts or anything slow you down.


"After a close legal review of the final manuscript of Blowing the Whistle by Tim Donaghy, and our independent evaluation of some of the author's sources and statements, Triumph Books and Random House have decided not to go forward with the book's publication. Our decision is wholly our own and was made without consultation with any outside parties or individuals," Random House spokesman Stuart Applebaum said in a statement.

"In 2008 Mr. Donaghy's allegations were thoroughly investigated by the FBI and the U.S. Attorney's Office. We are reassured that the U.S. Government completed its investigation finding that the only criminal conduct was that of Mr. Donaghy," Elizabeth Ventura, senior vice president of communications for the NBA, said in a statement.

[AussieFanKurt]

yeah they cant seen to be corrupt like everyone knows they are

[Steve Jobs]

Why is it when I click on the link for page 2, it takes me to page one? I hope this isn't a safari bug.

[ambchang]

The fact that people are semi-buying into Donaghy's claims, and we are talking about hard-core fans of the league (I am assuming) shows how terrible a job the refs have been doing the last decade or so.

Thing is, I am pretty sure some of the stuff Donaghy said was true, there has to be an element of truth to every good lie. Saying that either the whole thing is true or the whole thing is false is making it too black and white.

[BRHornet45]

sons the NBA had to step in and stop this because they know what he is saying is the truth. he is just the one ref being crucified for it whenever many other refs were/is doing the same thing. whether you want to admit it or not, the NBA tries to control many games (especially the playoffs). now of course the league can't determine what teams will win every time, but they can do everything in their power to make it happen. basketball is VERY easily controlled by the refs ... more so than any other sport.

[BRHornet45]

here is a part from his book that mentions the Hornets ...

"I remember one nightmarish game I worked with Joe Crawford and Phil Robinson. Minnesota and New Orleans were in a tight game going into the last minute, and Crawford told us to make sure that we were 100 percent sure of the call every time we blew the whistle. When play resumed, Minnesota coach Flip Saunders started yelling at us to make a call. Robinson got intimidated and blew the whistle on New Orleans. The only problem was it wasn't the right call. Tim Floyd, the Hornets' coach, went nuts. He stormed the court and kicked the ball into the top row of the stadium. Robinson had to throw him out, and Minnesota won the game.
[...]
Later that week, Ronnie Nunn told me that we could have made something up at the other end against Minnesota to even things out. He even got specific-maybe we should have considered calling a traveling violation on Kevin Garnett. Talk about the politics of the game! Of course the official statement from the league office will always read, "There is no such thing as a makeup call.""

[BRHornet45]

Kings vs Lakers excerpts ...

"Studying under Dick Bavetta for 13 years was like pursuing a graduate degree in advanced game manipulation. He knew how to marshal the tempo and tone of a game better than any referee in the league, by far. He also knew how to take subtle-and not so subtle-cues from the NBA front office and extend a playoff series or, worse yet, change the complexion of that series.

The 2002 Western Conference Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Sacramento Kings presents a stunning example of game and series manipulation at its ugliest. As the teams prepared for Game 6 at the Staples Center, Sacramento had a 3–2 lead in the series. The referees assigned to work Game 6 were Dick Bavetta, Bob Delaney, and Ted Bernhardt. As soon as the referees for the game were chosen, the rest of us knew immediately that there would be a Game 7. A prolonged series was good for the league, good for the networks, and good for the game. Oh, and one more thing: it was great for the big-market, star-studded Los Angeles Lakers.

In the pregame meeting prior to Game 6, the league office sent down word that certain calls-calls that would have benefitted the Lakers — were being missed by the referees. This was the type of not-so-subtle information that I and other referees were left to interpret. After receiving the dispatch, Bavetta openly talked about the fact that the league wanted a Game 7.

"If we give the benefit of the calls to the team that's down in the series, nobody's going to complain. The series will be even at three apiece, and then the better team can win Game 7," Bavetta stated.

As history shows, Sacramento lost Game 6 in a wild come-from-behind thriller that saw the Lakers repeatedly sent to the foul line by the referees. For other NBA referees watching the game on television, it was a shameful performance by Bavetta's crew, one of the most poorly officiated games of all time."

[BRHornet45]

Spurs mention ...

"My favorite Tommy Nunez story is from the 2007 playoffs when the San Antonio Spurs were able to get past the Phoenix Suns in the second round. Of course, what many fans didn't know was that Phoenix had someone working against them behind the scenes. Nunez was the group supervisor for that playoff series, and he definitely had a rooting interest.

Nunez loved the Hispanic community in San Antonio and had a lot of friends there. He had been a referee for 30 years and loved being on the road; in fact, he said that the whole reason he had become a group supervisor was to keep getting out of the house. So Nunez wanted to come back to San Antonio for the conference finals. Plus, he, like many other referees, disliked Suns owner Robert Sarver for the way he treated officials. Both of these things came into play when he prepared the referees for the games in the staff meetings. I remember laughing with him and saying, "You would love to keep coming back here." He was pointing out everything that Phoenix was able to get away with and never once told us to look for anything in regard to San Antonio. Nunez should have a championship ring on his finger."

[Culburn369]

Thing is, I am pretty sure some of the stuff Donaghy said was true

Yer pretty sure some of it is true, eh, amb?

Yikes.

[ambchang]

Yer pretty sure some of it is true, eh, amb?

Yikes.

Of course, every good lie has an element of truth in it, or else it would be too blatant and easily dismissed.

[Holmes_Fans]

Just leak it on the internet