Former NBA referee Tim Donaghy is back in the news again. Donaghy, serving 15 months in federal prison for fixing NBA games in a conspiracy with gamblers, has written a book in which he claims NBA games are not on the up-and-up, and that the NBA itself encourages officials to protect star players and marquee teams.
Donaghy’s book, “Blowing the Whistle: The Culture of Fraud in the NBA,” is still being shopped around and has yet to find a publisher. While he does actually name names and call out specific instances of what he’s calling referee misconduct (Hi, Kettle? It’s Pot. You’re black.), Donaghy doesn’t exactly have a whole lot of credibility at this point. He’s flat broke, in jail, and desperate to stay in the news, make some money, and get some revenge on the league that put him in this state.
Apparently the F.B.I. has been investigating his claims since the allegations first came to light back in 2007, but have yet to be able to substantiate any of them.
Personally, I think Tim Donaghy is a scumbag with zero credibility. Do NBA officials give preferential treatment to star players? Absolutely. Anybody who has watched an NBA game in the last 25 years could have told you that. That doesn’t mean there is some sort of conspiracy. It’s just human nature.
Dan Shaughnessy of the Boston Globe has an interesting piece on the Donaghy situation in today’s paper. You can read about it here.
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