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п»їMore evidence suggests disgraced NBA ref Tim Donaghy fixed games.
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Disgraced referee Tim Donaghy and the NBA have always been aligned on one narrative: Donaghy didn’t fix games.
Provide inside information to gamblers? Yes. Bet on his own games? Yes.
But fix games? No.
That’s the story Donaghy had to tell to avoid more jail time and the story the NBA had to sell to preserve its integrity.
It just never held up to scrutiny. Henry Abbott of TrueHoop led the charge of publicly investigating Donaghy’s claims, and professional gambler (later Mavericks employee) Haralabos Voulgaris reviewed the calls. They concluded the system Donaghy admitted to – leveraging his knowledge of other referees’ biases toward against certain players and coaches – would have lost money. The money was made on his own games.
It just fits common sense. Donaghy was unethical enough to gamble on his own games but drew the line at altering calls to win his bets? C’mon.
Now comes perhaps the most definitive account of Donaghy’s misdeeds yet, including details on the gambling operation and statistical analysis of its outcomes.
Donaghy favored the side that attracted more betting dollars in 23 of those 30 competitive games, or 77 percent of the time. In four games, he called the game neutrally, 50-50. The number of games in which Tim Donaghy favored the team that attracted fewer betting dollars? Three. In other words, Donaghy’s track record of making calls that favored his bet was 23-3-4. If one assumes there should be no correlation between wagers and the calls made by a referee, the odds of that disparity* might seem unlikely. And they are. When presented with that data, ESPN statisticians crunched the numbers and revealed: The odds that Tim Donaghy would have randomly made calls that produced that imbalance are 6,155-to-1.
“He can influence a game six points either way — that’s what he told me,” Tommy Martino said as we sat in the break room of his family’s hair salon, where he’s worked since he got out of prison in August 2009 after serving 10 months.
I highly recommend reading Eden’s piece in full. It is excellent.
I’m intrigued by the idea the NBA leaked the FBI’s investigation into Donaghy to undermine a search into whether more referees were corrupt. Donaghy claimed some were.
Donaghy lacks credibility. I don’t trust him on anything, including that.
But I could also see David Stern’s NBA wanting to stifle a deeper dive into the league’s officials before it got off the ground. That’d prevent wider problems just in case this was a rare time Donaghy was being truthful.
How an NBA Referee Fixed Important Games.
ith the recent NBA legalization of sports betting, perhaps this is the perfect time to look back and re-examine the story of the disgraced NBA referee, Tim Donaghy. Tim DonaghyРІР‚в„ўs rise to being one of the leagueРІР‚в„ўs most famous referees aided in his demise and 15-month prison sentence for fixing games. Most people saw only Tim as the sole culprit in the matter, but are completely unaware that he was not working alone. To understand the magnitude of the situation, we need to examine all the components and people involved. But first, who is Tim Donaghy, and what exactly happened?
Rise to Being an NBA Referee.
Tom Donaghy comes from a long line of great referees. It would not be far-fetched to call his career a family tradition. DonaghyРІР‚в„ўs uncle, РІР‚ВOakesРІР‚в„ў, was a respected referee and his father Gerry Donaghy, wore stripes for the NCAA. Renowned referees like Crawford, Malloy, and Callahan all attended Delaware CountyРІР‚в„ўs Cardinal OРІР‚в„ўHara High School; as did Donaghy.
In 1990, Donaghy was 23 years old and began officiating in the NBA’s minor league — the CBA. He moved through the ranks fast and moved to the NBA four years later in 1994.
Although his career seemed quite promising, Donaghy fell for temptation soon after his league debut. NBA rules prohibit their referees from all sorts of gambling, except horse racing. In 1998, Donaghy joined the Radley Run Country Club in West Chester, Pennsylvania. Outings mostly included golfing, drinking, and friendly betting. His harmless bets soon became habits. Habits that would prove to change his life for the negative.
Prior to the scandal, many of his colleagues did not particularly enjoy DonaghyРІР‚в„ўs presence. He was not considered to be a warm or inviting person. Even his ex-wife described their relationship as being РІР‚ВtaintedРІР‚в„ў because of her fear of him. His relationships with his lifelong friends however seemed legitimate and sincere.
Wagering on His Own Games.
Just like the friendly bets started with his friends on the golf course, Tim would also be introduced to major sports betting through an old friend. Jack Concannon, DonaghyРІР‚в„ўs close friend since high school, had a bookie named Ruggieri or РІР‚ВRhinoРІР‚в„ў. According to Donaghy, Rhino had a handicapping system for NFL picks and allowed the two friends to pool their money together and bet on RhinoРІР‚в„ўs picks. Even though this was a direct violation of the NBAРІР‚в„ўs betting rules, Donaghy rationalized his actions.
Soon, TimРІР‚в„ўs habit grew and NFL picks and college football wins couldnРІР‚в„ўt scratch the consistent itch. In 2003, Donaghy evolved his betting platform. Accompanied by Jack Concannon, the two decided to bet on NBA games. More specifically, the games that Tim Donaghy was officiating.
The former referee placed his first NBA bet in March 2003, four seasons before the FBI unraveled the whole enterprise. His first season of NBA betting saw him make only two or three bets. His confidence had not peaked yet. His next few seasons would prove to be his defining moments. The following season, the NBA referee bet on over 30 of the games he worked. His alliance with Concannon was bringing in so much money that he didnРІР‚в„ўt know where to physically store it all to avoid raising suspicion from his wife. Although high-ranked referees make a very comfortable living, DonaghyРІР‚в„ўs newly acquired wealth proved to be good to refuse.
An Evolving Thirst.
Remember РІР‚ВRhinoРІР‚в„ў, ConcannonРІР‚в„ўs bookie? Well, the bets that Donaghy and Concannon made were starting to look strange and took too good to be true. РІР‚ВRhinoРІР‚в„ў decided to do a little investigative digging of this own. It turned out that Jack Concannon was making bets at a higher frequency, and astonished, they were all winning. It did not take long to connect the dots. Donaghy was indeed the referee that called all the games Concannon was betting on.
Following his hunch, RhinoРІР‚в„ўs group began to follow ConcannonРІР‚в„ўs bets with bets of their own, but in more substantial sums. Bets would sometimes reach as high as $100,000 a game. Rhino and his group were diligent with how they placed their bets though, ensuring that authorities would never get suspicious. A gentleman named РІР‚ВBattistaРІР‚в„ў, who was in charge of the bets, soon realized that the betting markets were becoming too high risk because of the accuracy of the bets. Even though Battista had run his betting enterprise for years without DonaghyРІР‚в„ўs knowledge, he decided it was time to let him in on the effect that his involvement was causing throughout the industry.
Battista reached out to Donaghy through a mutual friend, Martino. The three agreed to sit down for a meeting. In the meeting, Battista laid out the situation as well as his demands to reduce the suspicion. Donaghy was ordered to never bet with Concannon ever again, only communicate through Martino, and send a share of his winnings if his bet hit. Battista set Donaghy’s share price at $2,000 per game but could end up as high as $5,000 depending on this situation. They also came up with a communication system – a secret code that allowed Donaghy to tell Martino what team he chose for their underhanded betting schemes.
The Collapse.
The betting continued for some time, with Battista and Donaghy taking more and more un-calculated risks time after time. The newly acquired wealth led Battista down the dark road of substance abuse. He dabbled in everything from oxycodone to snorting cocaine. As a result, sleep deprivation and stress compounded on the bookie assistant. Some say that his condition was one of the reasons it was so difficult for him to keep their activities under wraps.
By either BattistaРІР‚в„ўs inability to keep quiet or growing suspicion in the betting world, the FBI caught wind. Phil Scala, an FBI detective, got a tip regarding an NBA referee fixing games. During previous investigations, Scala had been probing the Gambino family (one of the famous five mob families) for information on their illegal activity. One of his sources tipped him off on a few of GambinoРІР‚в„ўs making millions on the NBA refereeРІР‚в„ўs scheme. The interesting part of this whole thing; the tip came in October 2006, two months before Battista and Donaghy met.
Eventually, ScalaРІР‚в„ўs unit detangled the spider web of illegal activity. Through extensive investigation, they found Tim Donaghy as the mastermind. In April 2007, the FBI knocked on BattistaРІР‚в„ўs door, and like you could expect, a plea deal was taken to identify Donaghy in the case. Donaghy also gave in extremely quickly when approached.
On May 30th, 2007, Tommy Martino appeared before a grand jury testifying to all the incidents from the last few years. Tim Donaghy appeared in front of a grand jury within two weeks of MartinoРІР‚в„ўs plea and testified which granted him a plea deal. His sentencing went from 20 years in federal prison to serving just 15 months.
Jail Time.
As a result of the findings, the NBA released a statement denying any awareness of such events. They also made it very clear that Tim Donaghy was a rogue employee that acted alone. Once the NBA went public with the news, awareness increased exponentially. To draw attention away from the league and its issues, Donaghy was never charged with game-fixing. His accomplices also went to prison; Battista for 15 months and Martino for one year.
Epilogue.
After the Donaghy scandal, the NBA beefed up their technology to review game footage and catch any game-fixing schemes before they happened. There is no guarantee that Tim Donaghy was the first and only referee to have acted as such. Donaghy certainly didnРІР‚в„ўt believe so. He went on to write his won book, Personal Foul, accounting player bias, scandals, and ploys to extend playoff series.
Although he may have not been the first referee to conduct such activity, he was the only one caught with his hand in the NBAРІР‚в„ўs preverbal cookie jar.
NBA Playoffs 2012: How Referees Are Fixing and Changing the Outcome of Games.
There is no doubt that NBA referees have fixed games in the past. If you question this, or think it is a conspiracy, then look here, where you'll find information on the 13 NBA Referees caught in a betting scandal in 2008.
Former NBA referee Tom Donaghy received a 15-month prison term in connection with a gambling scandal that tarnished professional basketball.
A federal judge also sentenced the disgraced referee to three years of probation. Donaghy pleaded guilty to two felony charges of conspiracy to engage in wire fraud and transmitting wagering information on interstate commerce.
The betting scandal damaged the NBA's credibility, which had already faced allegations that playoff games were fixed to extend the length of rounds and ensure that large market teams advanced.
The NBA strongly denied this accusation. What else would you expect them to do, guilty or innocent?
Donaghy provided inside information to illegal gamblers and mobsters about the condition of certain players and the tendencies of referees who were officiating games. Is it so far-fetched to think that some of those referees had those tendencies for that very reason, or altered them to fit the needs of their betting games?
You would think this discovery would prompt the NBA to be more attentive to their referees' activities and the calls they're making. Instead, the National Basketball Association and Commissioner David Stern decided that it was best to implement a new rule in 2010 that prevents players from arguing calls at all.
In September, the league announced it was expanding its "respect for the game" guidelines to include unsportsmanlike actions that it feels take away from the product on the floor — and how it looks on television.
Guidelines for issuing technical fouls now include gestures such as raising a fist in the air in anger, incredulous arm waving and excessive questioning of the call, even in moderate tones .
"It's an emotional game, no matter what," Lakers forward Pau Gasol said. "You're going to react if you don't agree with a call. You just can't keep yourself cool all the time. It'll be tough. It'll be an adjustment. I don't know if there's much we can do about it. If you complain, you might get fined even more."
The NBA Players Association said it is planning to challenge this rule, because the league's decision to hand out more technical fouls to complaining players is an "overreaction."
Billy Hunter, executive director of the union, said the players weren't consulted about the rule changes.
Giving this authority to already suspect NBA referees gives them the ability and opportunity to further change the outcome of a game. They could essentially fix a game how they see fit. Or, if they have a grudge against a player, change the outcome of a game by ejecting that player. It doesn't matter if they have a valid argument. It doesn't matter that a referee could be tooling with the game for their own benefit. at least, not to the NBA.
If that does not make much sense to you, do not feel alone, because it does not make any sense to me. This is just one way that officials can fix a game or games.
Another way is by deciding to not call a foul, or slew of fouls, that occur during a given game. In addition, they could choose to call fouls that never even occurred.
By doing any of these things, they can manipulate the score to be within a range of their selection. It is the oldest trick in the book and, quite frankly, I'm getting sick of seeing it occur and so are the players.
Here is an example of how frustrating this can be on a player. Take Paul Pierce of the Boston Celtics, for example. He often causes defenders to jump in the air with a shot (pump) fake. Upon doing so, he makes a very veteran, experienced move. You see, Pierce realizes that once that defender has launched himself into the air that he can now jump into the defender while taking his shot.
"The Truth" could either make the shot, and he would have a chance to shoot an "and one" free throw or, if he misses, then he would be able to take multiple free throws.
The amount of free throws that he would be allowed to take if he missed that shot would simply depend on whether he was shooting a two-point or three-point field goal. This could happen at any time during the game, but worst case scenario, it could happen at a crucial point in the game.
This is a great basketball play. This is a move that Paul Pierce is especially known to utilize to his advantage, and rightfully so.
If this was, say, a last second shot and a referee does not call the foul, then the outcome of the game could easily be rigged.
This is just one example of countless scenarios the referees could use to influence the outcome of games. Yes, this is going to happen from time to time regardless. However, that doesn't mean we should allow it to happen when the referees are doing it purposely.
Furthermore, it doesn't indicate that a supplemental rule should be implemented which gives the very referees we have been discussing more power to alter a basketball game.
It would be one thing if only the hot heads of the NBA were arguing the calls, but we are seeing the most respected, knowledgeable players and coaches in the game today—and of the past—berating the referees because they can't understand how they could call or not call certain fouls.
Some of the players that have been fined, ejected from games or served up technical fouls for arguing calls include Boston Celtics' coach Doc Rivers, Los Angeles Lakers' coach Phil Jackson, Shaquille O'Neal, Stephen Jackson, Carmelo Anthony, Orlando Magic coach Stan Van Gundy, Lebron James, and Pau Gasol—and the list goes on.
The NBA has gone as far as to order the silence of these players and coaches, which frankly, violates their constitutional rights of freedom of speech and the right to protest. It's completely out of line on the part of the NBA.
Miami Heat's James fears the way the referees implement the new rules could serve to rob the emotional edge from the game.
"We are emotional players," James said. "I mean, just imagine if it's game seven of the finals and you feel like there was a call missed or something you felt should have been called, and you show emotion.
"And you're at a point where you already have a technical foul, and now you get kicked out of game seven of the finals because of this rule. It wouldn't be great."
This corruption needs to be cleaned up.
For those referees out there reading this that aren't fixing games, congratulations. You are amongst the few and far between. This issue is not limited to just the NBA, either. I may even go as far as saying that the NBA, MLB, NCAA, NFL, NHL and other major sports leagues are aware of these occurrences.
I think they are in cahoots with Las Vegas and these mobsters to fix games as they see fit.
This type of corruption has gone on long enough and needs to be addressed. It is unfair to the players and fans, and it gives Vegas an unfair advantage pertaining to gambling on NBA games. Yes, a lot of people do bet on games, but Vegas has no right to fix these games to their benefit.
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