What was that I was saying about the NBA officials being the WORST in all of sports? Looks like myself, Mark Cuban, and all Phoenix Suns and Sacramento Kings fans might not be paranoid conspiracy theorists after all.
A story published Friday in the New York Post reads as follows:
The FBI is investigating an NBA referee who allegedly was betting on basketball games—including ones he was officiating during the past two seasons—as part of an organized crime probe in the Big Apple, the Post has learned.
The investigation, which began more than a year ago, is zeroing in on blockbuster allegations that the referee was making calls that affected the point spread to guarantee that he and the hoods who had their hooks in him—cashed in on large bets.
The official's name has been withheld, but sources have indicated that the official will turn himself in next week and that the mobsters that he associated with will be arrested.
Apparently, FBI sources indicate that the referee had a serious gambling problem and fell into debt with the mob.
How dearly I wish I could be a venom-spewing fly on the wall in David Stern's office.
What was that line in the Kids in the Hall film? I believe it was, "My empire is crumbling!"
GOOD. It was time for that son of a bitch to leave YEARS AGO.
Does this surprise anyone? Hell no. It's a matter of human beings and money. What do steroids and athletes have in common? What about recruiting violations in college football?
MONEY. CASH. DEAD PRESIDENTS. FRANKLINS.
Whatever fucking euphemism you want.
Today's Must Reads
Commissioner Stern—do you still think having that NBA team in Vegas is a great idea?
Obviously, this story is going to involve Sin City in some capacity. All the games under suspicion will be analyzed in all the sportsbooks to check for suspicious movements in the lines.
The dirty ref didn t necessarily have to make calls to help one team win—all he had to do was make sure the team he wagered on covered.
That an official was betting and/or shaving points is one thing. That an official was shaving points FOR THE MOB will RUIN the NBA...and should force David Stern to finally step down.
The NBA's credibility is officially shot, especially during the seasons in question. I just pray that the ref under investigation is Bennett Salvatore...who oversaw that infamous Game 5 in the 2006 Finals between the Mavs and Heat, in which Dwyane "Breathe on me and it's a foul" Wade got his phantom call in the final seconds.
Whomever the culprit is, this story opens a Pandora's Box. Suddenly Cuban doesn't seem like such a whack job. Maybe it was Joey Crawford? Ahh, this is going to be delicious—I haven't been so excited to get results since my last palimony lawsuit.
I only wish that this could've involved Chicago Bulls games in the 1990s. Maybe Jordan picked up an extra ring or two—you know he got plenty of horseshit calls. Wonder what Bryon Russell is doing right now?
And don't think the scrutiny will be limited to a finite number of games. Every game the ref ever officiated will be analyzed down to the LAST DETAIL. How long has he been in the league? If he's a 15-year veteran, you can bet your ass his entire career will be under the microscope.
How will this affect teams' records? What about past champions?
Basketball is, by far, the easiest sport to fix—as New York mobster Henry Hill proved with his work at Boston College during the 1978-79 season. As a ref, all you have to do is make four or five wrong calls. As a player, it's a matter of five or six careless turnovers or three or four missed shots.
As a mobster, your first choice as an inside man has got to be a ref. It's not so hard to suspect a player of throwing a game. But a referee is supposed to be beyond reproach.
With a ref in his pocket, a mobster could lay a bet with the utmost confidence that a point spread would move in his favor.
And don't forget the bookmakers—with knowledge of a ref on the take, a bookie could set a fake point spread to lure "lay" bets from other bookies with too much action on a particular team. That team, of course, would be likely to lose or at least unlikely to cover the dummy spread.
It's not like we haven't seen fixed games in the NFL or Major League Baseball. (Pete Rose anyone?) Cheating is a part of sports. It's unfortunate—and it's something no diehard sports fan could imagine as a kid—but it's the truth.
This latest investigation shatters what little innocence we had left if we had any left at all. Like it or not, money IS the ultimate bottom line.
First Michael Vick, now this—I thought we watched sports to GET AWAY from the CORRUPTION and GRAFT that make this fucked up planet go 'round. I need a drink...NOW. Better make that five.
And to think the NBA was my first true love.
I'm sick, but I'm not surprised. I want to hear your thoughts on this—especially you longtime NBA fans. Someone tell me it's going to be all right. Or that it isn't. Just say something.
I've had enough news for awhile.
comments (12) write a comment »
write a new comment
about 1 year ago
As an official in another sport, I am sickened to know this has happened. It brings into question all officials, even myself, given my position relative to what I am expected to do and how I am expected to perform.
I will not defend the actions of the official, but there has to be something more deeply rooted in all of this. Firstly, if the official had a gambling problem, is the NBA so lofty that he could not go to his boss to confess his disease. When the MOB got a hold of him, what does it say that this official chose to side with the MOB instead of entrusting his life to his employer.
The NBA is a overlfowing bag of money that is given to the athletes. How does one defend Joe Crawford and his antagonistic approach to Tim Duncan...maybe you don't...but imagine a player who makes $20 Million a year challenging an official who makes 1% of that as a salary.
The NBA has created this mess. The official is in trouble...he has a sickness. Does it defend his actions, or the allegations being charged, of course not...but for as long as big business is allowed to operate in a fashion like the NBA...they will continue to sweep this shit under the rug.
I can't wait to see Stern squirm his way out of this if it is proven to come to charges. Stern tried to tell us that suspending the PHX players was within the rules...Maybe there is more to this story than is presently being reported.
IT has been one hell of a week in the NBA ( Sports Betting), NFL (Dog Fighting), MLB (Bonds vs. Aaron)....
I am losing faith in the Professional Sports business models.
about 1 year ago
This is a huge black eye that will attack the league's integrity for years to come. Basketball is by far the most difficult league to referee, and has the highest percentage of missed calls. I also don't think it isn't fair to say that the NBA has the worst referees in all the major sports.
But until yesterday, you could always excuse away some of their flaws on the fact that basketball is so difficult to referee, and that the refs are only human.
But now we have a direct account of a ref corrupting the integrity of the game. Did he affect wins and losses? And more importantly, did he affect playoff wins and losses?
The recent past of the NBA has now been tainted. To what extent will be revealed as we find out more about the referee and the games. It'll be interesting to see what path David Stern takes after this disaster.
about 1 year ago
I'm already maxed out on the amount of anger I can put forth towards NBA officiating...I have nothing more to give.
I'm not a big Anti-Stern guy, but I do think that this is the worst part of an otherwise terrific product.
about 1 year ago
One can only hope this is the end of the NBA. As a Knicks fan, I will never forgive Stern and his cronies for suspending half the Knick team for taking a step off the bench against Miami (It was so long ago I forget the year) Also, when the Knicks made it to the finals and were beaten by the Spurs, Tim Duncan only had one or two fouls called against him the ENTIRE SERIES! The difference between college ball and the NBA is that in college, you don't get the distinct impression that on any given night, the refs are favoring one team over the other (Unless it's Duke) The NBA has been rigged for years and it has been painfully obvious. They deserve whatever they get.
about 1 year ago
I harbor no ill will towards Stern for suspending basically the entire 1997 Knicks team. If he hadn't, the possibility for a huge brawl wouldv'e definitely been real. Do we not forget that P.J. Brown literally flipped Charlie Ward onto his back? And like San Antonio this year, nobody from Miami left the bench. I'll never have any problems with a rule designed to prevent large scale fights from taking place.
And Donaghy didn't work any Finals games the last 2 years. There was only one game Donaghy worked in this year's Spurs-Suns series, but it was a pivotal Game 3 which was easily the most inofficiated game of the playoffs. The spread favored the Spurs by 4. They won by 7. Suns fans chime away.
I think the title "The death of the NBA" is a little harsh because as far as we know, Donaghy is one isolated official with a gambling problem. It isn't as if (we hope) the corruption is a league wide epidemic.
Basketball will still the most beautiful sport in the world to watch and play. One rotten tree doesn't ruin the garden.
about 1 year ago
I certainly don't agree with everything David Stern has ever done. And I think some of his recent moves (dress code, new ball, the Stoudamire debacle in the playoffs, etc.) sucked. But unless he knew about this issue and covered up, he can't be held responsible.
However, I do think the NBA could be in big trouble. It's already been losing fans (for various reasons, some of which I don't think you can blame on the league and its players) and this certainly isn't going to help.
I'll be really interested to see where this all goes.
about 1 year ago
I do think Stern should take a little bit of the blame for this. The officiating has been terrible for awhile and he really hasn't done much besides suspending Joey Crawford.
Perhaps Stern should worry about issues such as this, that actually effect the outcome of games. Instead, Stern has chosen to focus in on guys taking a step off the bench, forcing NBA stars to play a game of dress up, and other moves which essentially treat the men who make his league profitable like little children.
Pull your head out of your ass David Stern. PLEASE!
about 1 year ago
The NBA might not be dead but if it isn't dying then give it an oscar. This kind of crap doesn't surprise me at all, the arrogant bastard at the head has enabled it. If the NBA is to recover, get rid of them both.
about 1 year ago
Bad officiating cuts both ways. Bias does not. Fans have been leaving because there was a "perception" that the NBA favored certain teams. If not, why do the rules change for the playoffs? In Phoenix,(5th largest city in the country) the exciting run and gun Suns were lucky to sell out the playoffs. Why? The NBA has screwed Phoenix for nearly 40 years. It's always the same. Now the city couldn't care less about the NBA. When Amare and Diaw were suspended it was a laughable joke. Here we go again LOL!!! BTW, to the Knicks fan that said "And Donaghy didn't work any Finals games the last 2 years. There was only one game Donaghy worked in this year's Spurs-Suns series, but it was a pivotal Game 3 which was easily the most inofficiated game of the playoffs. The spread favored the Spurs by 4. They won by 7. Suns fans chime away."
I will weigh in. Amare receive 4 very quick phantom fouls in the first half. His time was limited to 20 minutes. That is how easy it is to change the entire complexion of a game very early.
I am hopeful that this gets Stern and most of the officiating crew tossed. I love professional basketball, but I won't watch if it is fixed like the WWE.
about 1 year ago
Turns out that Stern and the league knew that he was under investigation over the last season...AND HE STILL LET HIM REF GAMES. Turns out Donaghy was a real piece of s***. He had a lot of enemies and was VERY unstable. He has already said that he plans on going on a scorched earth policy. Basically he said that this involves other refs, players and scorekeepers and that he will name names. This is the END OF THE NBA. This is so depressing but David Stern deserved the blame for this, espeically if he had prior knowledge of this and should be fried for it.
Donaghy has also been getting death threats...gee you think...he's only going to be testifying against the mob...AND in the process bringing down a sport....I can't wait to see how Stern handles this press conference...pro basketball has just become a non-factor now in sports.
about 1 year ago
The NBA should learn from the NFL. The NFL does FBI background checks EACH YEAR for their officials and has an FBI man assigned to each ref when they are on the road. NBA officials NEVER are subjected to lie detectors. You think it would be smart to administer these tests when it comes to gambling, drugs or say MOB TIES to the most powerful and well known mob family in the country?
Stern knew about this guy's troubles a year ago and probably further back. He was arrested for stalking in the 90s, tried to assault a mailman, used to hit golfballs against his neighbor's house, and is being sued for harrassment by another neighbor. Police have been sent to Donaghy's home over a dozen times since he has been a ref.
How the hell did this guy keep a job? This is unspeakable and someone BETTER ask Stern about this during the press conference. Anyone still have a problem with Mark Cuban and former NBA ref Mike Mathis's complaints about ZERO oversight when it comes to referees? Conveniently when Mathis retired and spoke out about some of the inadequacies of the NBA referees, he was blackballed by the league. I think his credibility just got reinstated.
This is getting worse and worse. I can believe it but at the same time, this is trully heartbreaking.
about 1 year ago
He officiated Game 3 of the Suns-Spurs series this past year which was essentially the NBA Finals. The Spurs were favored by 4 and the over/under was 200. The Spurs won 109-101, covered and it went over. Apparently there are youtube clips of Donaghy making some of the worst calls you could imagine in that game. Also that was the game where Stoudamire only played 20 some minutes BECAUSE OF FOUL TROUBLE. Coincidence?
Check Bill Simmons...he blasted the officiating THE DAY AFTER THE GAME as incompetent. Now we know it was CORRUPT.
Donaghy has already been shown to have had a direct effect on the NBA Championship even if he didn't ref a game in the championship series.
Seriously, did anyone in the east have a chance? No. Did Utah or Golden State have a chance of beating the Spurs/Suns winner. No. That was the NBA Finals. The Spurs have a tarnished championship and Suns fans should be demanding blood right now.
write a new comment