http://www.foxsports.com/nba/story/tim-donaghy-100-percent-of-nba-refs-gamble-050416 The disgraced former ref joined Colin Cowherd Wednesday, and made some shocking comments about current NBA refs. Whether you believe all his claims or not, few (if any) know the inner workings of the NBA and the role referees play in determining outcomes of games better than Tim Donaghy does. The disgraced former ref worked in the NBA for 13 seasons, until an FBI investigation revealed that he had bet on games where he had refereed. Donaghy spent 15 months in prison after pleading guilty to two charges in the case, but out free now, there are few people who can provide more insight into the state of NBA refereeing than Donaghy can, after a wild ending to Game 2 of the Western Conference semis between the Thunder and Spurs. He joined Colin Cowherd Wednesday afternoon, and had a fascinating answer when asked what percentage of NBA referees gamble, not necessarily on basketball games, but just in general: "One-hundred percent," Donaghy said without hesitation. When Cowherd repeated the number, Donaghy didn't hesitate. "Absolutely (it's 100 percent). When I was there, (and) David Stern did his investigation, he said 'Legal gambling will cost you your job, illegal gambling will cost you your freedom. Then they did an investigation and found out that 58 out of the 60 referees gambled in some way, shape or form. And they changed the rules. Now basically they're allowed to gamble." When asked he believed if any referees gamble on the NBA, Donaghy gave an interesting response. "No, I can't say that I know for a fact. But I do think when you're at a party and you're discussing the NBA, you're always going to have that guy that comes up to you and is going to try and come up to you and pump you for information on, you know, 'who is going to win a series,' or 'who, the league wants to crack down in certain situations.' There's always information that that gambler wants to extract from that official." Again, whether you fully believe Donaghy or not, he does provide a fascinating perspective into the world of refereeing that simply no one else can provide
OMG, I just saw Scott Foster buy a Powerball ticket! Quick somebody call the FBI and the Silver Mafia!!! I really appreciate being able to read your posts from my neighbor's house. Since when does 58/60 = 100%. Must be that new math they teach in prison. And, there are a lot of forms of legal gambling that have nothing to do with the NBA - like buying a lottery ticket. This guy is a convicted felon who is trying desperate to become relevant again. He'll say anything to get his face on TV or his voice on the radio. BNM
You could have and should have. It would have taken less than 10 seconds to select the text, unbold it and reduce the font size. If you make your posts more readable, more people will read them. BNM
I checked basketball reference and counted like 64. But some of them only reffed like one game. So I guess 60 is the more appropriate number. I didn't even know you could look at ref's numbers on there. You can see who averages high point games, etc. pretty cool. I was looking at the playoffs for the one game thing. For the regular season, the lows were 2, and 4 games.
Read more carefully... (I know, it's tough to fling insults when you take the time to read.) He said it's 100% now and was 58 of 60 back then, before the rules were changed to allow gambling.
I did read that, but it's his opinion, not a verifiable fact. It's based on nothing more than speculation and conjecture. He hasn't reffed an NBA game in over 9 years. Many of the refs he worked with have since retired and there are several new refs that weren't around when he was a ref. He hasn't worked with any of these guys in a very long time and there are several he's never worked with at all and probably never even met. He is a pariah. No current NBA official is going to risk talking to him or give him the time of day. So, how would he know that 100% of them gamble? I have a personal friend that happens to be an NBA referee and I know for a fact that he doesn't gamble - at all. So, fuck Tim Donaghy and his 100% bullshit. BNM
I said referee, not attorney. BNM P.S. Apologizes to the attorneys among us. It was a joke. The opinions expressed are solely those of the poster and do not reflect the opinions of the owners or employees of SportsTwo. The poster's opinions are based upon information he considers reliable, but neither SportsTwo nor its affiliates warrant its completeness or accuracy, and it should not be relied upon as such...
You're not the only one in contempt of the legal system. Only 2 hours ago my blood pressure rose as I felt pissed off at a past lawyer. I'd be living on the Riviera instead of sitting here posting to my basketball fantasy puppet animal friends. Present company excluded, of course.
Q: What do you call a lawyer with an IQ of 100? A: Your Honor. Q: What do you call a lawyer with an IQ of 50 A: Senator.
I don't know that I believe that 100% of the refs gamble in some way ....but I certainly don't believe that Donaghy was the ONLY one.
Was being the key word. It's funny that after he got caught, Donaghy claims the NBA got soft on refs gambling. The exact opposite is true. The Donaghy gambling scandal was a huge black eye for the NBA. In order to avoid repeating that mistake, the NBA scrutinizes their officials more than ever - at least when it comes to betting on the games. Even the brash Donaghy, who claims, without any evidence to substantiate that claim, that 100% of NBA refs gamble in some form, backs down when asked if he thinks NBA refs bet on the games: When asked he believed if any referees gamble on the NBA, Donaghy gave an interesting response. "No, I can't say that I know for a fact." Translation: I am an unemployed, convicted felon desperate to become relevant again. I can put all kinds of wild ass speculation out there, but when it comes to actual facts, I've got nothing. Thanks for having me on your show Colin. Can I have my check now? BNM
actually Donaghy is not unemployed...he runs a sports betting site and made a bundle off his book. spilling the beans just means he has nothing to lose..he's already been caught and imprisoned.