Tim Donaghy

18 Stories

Gambling NBA Ref Gets Early Release After Mob Beating

(Newser) - The NBA ref imprisoned for betting on games will finish his 15-month sentence in a halfway house, the Tampa Tribune reports; he’ll be released Wednesday. A press release from a “prisoner advocacy group” said Donaghy is being sprung early because he “was injured during an assault in...

Donaghy Was Sole Gambling Ref, NBA Finds

Convict's betting prompted league-wide integrity investigation

(Newser) - No NBA referee other than Tim Donaghy, who’s currently serving time for gambling, has been up to anything illegal in the sport, a 14-month league probe has found. But the report’s author did have some suggestions for keeping the game clean, including a hotline for tips on suspicious...

NBA Ref Starts Prison Term for Gambling

Scandal fallout continues to batter league

(Newser) - The NBA referee who admitted gambling on basketball begins his 15-month federal prison sentence today, reports USA Today. The conviction of referee Tim Donaghy, 41, has rocked the NBA, even though officials determined he didn't bet on the specific games he worked. An NBA-sponsored investigation into gambling and referees is...

Donaghy Gets 15 Months in Gambling Rap

Disgraced NBA ref gets off lightly after lawyer's plea for leniency

(Newser) - Tim Donaghy was sentenced to 15 months in prison today for his role in the NBA gambling scandal, the Sporting News reports, a step down from the 27-33 months recommended by federal guidelines. Donaghy’s lawyers argued that the disgraced referee—who admitted to betting on games he officiated in...

Donaghy Fights NBA's $1.4M Bill
 Donaghy Fights NBA's $1.4M Bill 
Jun 24, 2008 12:53 PM CDT

Donaghy Fights NBA's $1.4M Bill

Says league wants to 'financially destroy' ex-ref for singing

(Newser) - A lawyer for Tim Donaghy, the NBA referee who bet on games he officiated, has accused the NBA of going after his client in retaliation for statements that detracted from the NBA Finals, AP reports. "The message from the NBA is quite clear: If you cooperate in a federal...

Do Feds Suspect Another Ref?
 Do Feds Suspect
 Another Ref? 
Jun 13, 2008 9:00 AM CDT

Do Feds Suspect Another Ref?

Officials report being asked about Bavetta during Donaghy probe

(Newser) - While questioning former NBA referees about Tim Donaghy, federal investigators also asked lots of questions about another ref named Dick Bavetta, ESPN reports. Commissioner David Stern, however, insisted the league has no concerns about the veteran official, who worked Game 1 of this year's finals. Stern again suggested that Donaghy's...

Full-Court Press Won't Fix NBA's Image Woes
Full-Court Press Won't Fix NBA's Image Woes
OPINION
Jun 12, 2008 3:38 PM CDT

Full-Court Press Won't Fix NBA's Image Woes

Commish can point to crooked ref, but game- fixing charge sticks

(Newser) - It seems unlikely NBA commissioner David Stern would ever have arranged outcomes of important games, as disgraced former referee Tim Donaghy has claimed. But whether or not the accusations are true, the league has a Shaq-sized image issue on its hands, and strategies for dealing with the tarnish aren't in...

Ousted Ref: NBA Fixed 2002 Series

Donaghy charges officials manipulated results to stretch playoff series

(Newser) - A disgraced former NBA referee claims that league officials conspired with referees to stretch the 2002 Lakers-Kings playoff series to a money-making seventh game, the Los Angeles Times reports. The allegation from Tim Donaghy came in a letter to the FBI that made broad claims of misconduct and match-fixing among...

Gambling Ref: Don't Trust NBA Game Results

Disgraced ex-official warns of ties among players, coaches, refs

(Newser) - Former NBA referee Tim Donaghy alleged yesterday that relationships among basketball officials, coaches, and players "affected the outcome of games." He may also have passed the league information about other referees with gambling problems, and about the flow of confidential information from an official to a coach, AP...

Jesse Jackson Outraged on Umps' Behalf

League probe asked if umpires are KKK members, wife-beaters

(Newser) - Major League Baseball's umpires are fighting mad, and Jesse Jackson is behind them 100%, after reports surfaced that league officials have been asking umps' neighbors questions about marijuana use, domestic violence, and potential membership in the Ku Klux Klan. "They have essentially defamed their people in their own neighborhoods,...

Commish: Refs Violated Casino Ban, But Won't Be Punished

Draconian gambling rules under reform

(Newser) - Despite violating the NBA's stringent gambling rules, over half of the league's referees will not be punished, announced commissioner David Stern. The current rules forbid all gambling, an overly strict policy that has been improperly enforced, according to Stern; among other changes, he is likely to allow non-sports-related wagers in...

Disgraced Ref Breaks Silence, Says He's Sorry

Donaghy retreats to Fla. home to await sentencing, possible other charges

(Newser) - Tim Donaghy spoke directly to the press yesterday for the first time since the scandal surrounding the ex-NBA ref broke, but with his sentence pending and reports of possible charges in other jurisdictions swirling, he wasn't able to say much. "I'm very sorry about what happened," the confessed...

Donaghy Pleads Guilty in NBA Betting Scandal

Former referee says he was paid for picking winners correctly

(Newser) - Former NBA referee Tim Donaghy admitted to betting on games he officiated and pleaded guilty today to two gambling-related felony counts. Donaghy, who turned himself in, told a Brooklyn judge he divulged game information and his picks on NBA games to gambling associates; he was paid for correctly choosing winning...

NBA Ref Will Plead Guilty
NBA Ref Will Plead Guilty
Aug 15, 2007 3:28 AM CDT

NBA Ref Will Plead Guilty

Tim Donaghy charged with betting on NBA games he officiated

(Newser) - The former NBA referee accused of betting on league games will plead guilty today, according to an AP source. Tim Donaghy, whose lawyer declined comment, is expected to surrender in Brooklyn's federal court today. NBA commish David Stern has called Donaghy an "isolated criminal," and says his actions...

Focus on Offense Aids Crooked Refs
Focus on Offense Aids Crooked Refs
Jul 26, 2007 8:03 AM CDT

Focus on Offense Aids Crooked Refs

'Dysfunctional' ref rules partly to blame for Donaghy fiasco

(Newser) - The focus on offense in NBA play, encouraging officials  to call more fouls, also paves the way for the current gambling scandal, three former refs charge in USA Today. More free throws and offensive possessions can, in turn, influence the final score. Tim Donaghy, an NBA official for 13 years,...

Stern Forlorn, Upset at 'Betrayal'
Stern Forlorn, Upset at 'Betrayal'
Jul 25, 2007 7:30 AM CDT

Stern Forlorn, Upset at 'Betrayal'

NBA commissioner emphasizes rogue ref was an isolated case

(Newser) - A weary David Stern expressed grave disappointment yesterday in referee Tim Donaghy, who the FBI alleges bet on games he officiated. At a somber news conference without the omnipresent NBA logo behind him, the commissioner made clear his belief in Donaghy's guilt, which he likened to treason. Donaghy has not...

Donaghy to Turn Himself In
Donaghy to Turn Himself In
Jul 24, 2007 6:40 AM CDT

Donaghy to Turn Himself In

Ex-NBA ref will surrender to feds in big-league gambling investigation

(Newser) - The former NBA referee accused of betting on league games will turn himself in to federal authorities, but not until later this week, USA Today reports. The FBI says Tim Donaghy originally came under suspicion during organized-crime investigations, and officials speculate that the 13-year veteran likely wagered on games, including...

FBI Names Rogue NBA Ref
FBI Names Rogue NBA Ref
Jul 21, 2007 2:39 PM CDT

FBI Names Rogue NBA Ref

Veteran Tim Donaghy accused of mob ties, illegal bets totaling thousands of dollars

(Newser) - The FBI has officially blown the whistle on an NBA referee accused on illegal gambling. The feds are investigating claims that over the past two years veteran Tim Donaghy officiated a number of games on which he or his associates had placed bets—which might have totaled thousands of dollars....

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