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What? I call bull on this.
Donaghy says he didn’t influence games he bet on
Disgraced former NBA referee Tim Donaghy says he refused to make calls to affect games even if it meant he lost money and it angered the mob.
In one game where he bet on San Antonio, he ejected coach Gregg Popovich midway through the first quarter and the Spurs eventually lost the game. That drew the ire of the mob, which reportedly lost money using his tip.
“I just told them that I wasn’t making calls in games to influence the outcome,” Donaghy said in an interview on “60 Minutes” that aired Sunday night on CBS. “And I’m not going to be able to obviously predict the winner every night, and they have to accept that’s what’s going to happen.”
Donaghy insisted he made wagers on NBA games based on his knowledge of other officials’ biases for and against certain players and teams, and that his officiating was not compromised—a claim that was backed up by the FBI.
“Watching the tapes, we could see there was never anything outlandish where he called a foul or he omitted a foul because he wanted to see a certain team win” retired FBI special agent Philip Scala told the news show. “We never saw that.”
Donaghy made his wagers through a high school friend and used a code to indicate his picks.
“If I wanted them to bet the home team, I would discuss his brother Chuck,” he said. “If I wanted him to bet the visiting team, I would mention his brother Johnny.”
He claims he was winning 75 percent of the time, which drew the attention of the mob, which he said threatened his family to ensure he provided his insider picks to inform betting on games.
“They basically told me that I needed to give them the picks and if I didn’t, that it’s a possibility that somebody would go down and visit my wife and kids in Florida,” he said.
His connection with the mob caught the attention of the FBI, which overheard something on a wiretap that led them to believe an NBA referee may be involved. After he was caught, Donaghy said he cooperated with investigators because he believed it was in his and his family’s best interests.
Donaghy said he then received death threats to his home phone and is still worried about retribution from the mob.
“Certainly it’s in the back of my mind, but I’m not going to live my life in fear,” he said. “I was informed by the FBI agents that they certainly had an eye on what they called these wiseguys and that if anything would come up they would inform me immediately.”
Following the airing of the interview, NBA commissioner David Stern released a statement saying any allegations about officials will be referred to Lawrence Pedowitz, a former investigator in the U.S. attorney’s office who led a review of the league’s officiating.
“Mr. Pedowitz’s review revealed that the NBA’s core values of neutrality and accountability were not compromised by anyone other than Mr. Donaghy,” Stern said.
What? I call bull on this.
Suns fans all over the world are crushed by this news..that game Donaghy officiated was all they had left..
Seriously though, a lot of what Donaghy says doesn't make sense, and it's hard to believe him..I'm still gonna buy his book though, should be a decent read..anything that bashes the Lakers success is cool with me..
Suuure he didn't.
At the very least, subconciously he had to have made calls toward his bets. Even if he's somehow managed to convince himself he didnt.
I saw the interview, and damn, the look on his face when he said they threatened his family
“Mr. Pedowitz’s review revealed that the NBA’s core values of neutrality and accountability were not compromised by anyone other than Mr. Donaghy,” Stern said.
haha. he just lost whatever ounce of credibility he had.
How can he have any credibility? He's a convicted felon.
ohhhhh Laker fans are all over this one..I wonder why..
& I wonder why Wade didn't get a red assin' for missin' that FT 2 nights ago?
tee, hee.
poor iverson
o Kobe! Oh wait, he bought his way out...
Anyone that says that NBA refs do not play favorites to certain players needs to shut the up. It's so obvious that refs have grudges and biases toward or against certain players. That right there proves that the refs are dirty. I know that refs are only human but they shouldn't let their personal feelings decide the outcome of a game.
Oh Snap!o Kobe! Oh wait, he bought his way out...
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.
In a twist of fate, it was the Spurs that ended up needing the win to have a shot at the division le, and Bavetta generously accommodated. In our pregame meeting, he talked about how important the game was to San Antonio and how meaningless it was to Denver, and that San Antonio was going to get the benefit of the calls that night. Armed with this inside information, I called Jack Concannon before the game and told him to bet the Spurs.
To no surprise, we won big. San Antonio blew Denver out of the building that evening, winning by 26 points. When Jack called me the following morning, he expressed amazement at the way an NBA game could be manipulated. Sobering, yes; amazing, no. That's how the game is played in the National Basketball Association.
http://www.twitvid.com/986DF
After watching this, I feel I understand the situation better, and I believe him when he said he didnt influence games.
is that really all you got bald spot?..
Agreed. I think he was trying to say he didn't make calls that affected the final outcome (winner/loser) of a game, but I find it hard to believe he didn't make calls to manipulate the spread.
If a game was decided, and he needed a couple points to cover, I'm sure he tried to make something happen. In the nba you can pretty much call some type of violation on every possession, so it wouldn't be difficult to do.
I'm skeptical about all his accusations, but the idea that nba refs have biases is nothing earth shattering.
at least he wasnt reffing 2002 WCF
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