Tim Donaghy is not a saint. He may be responsible for one of the worst atrocities in the history of the NBA, but his involvement shouldn’t be as much of a surprise as it seems to be. He has a documented history of scandalous events surrounding the NBA. Disputes with neighbors which the league had to get involved in, the threats of violence from Rasheed Wallace after a Blazer game, and his role in the “other” biggest atrocity in the NBA (the pacers-pistons fight); the fact that this man was rated one of the better NBA refs is a joke.
But the question I want to ask is this; is a ref really able to shave enough points to sway a game? What if the team that is supposed to win goes absolutely cold from the field? What if the team that is supposed to lose gets so hot that they can’t be stopped? I question the fact that a mobster would invest substantial amounts of money on games that weren’t entirely open to manipulation. To be successful the acts would have to be so subtle that experts didn’t notice them. The act of paying an official to shave is a disgusting attempt to diminish a great game, but in my opinion it’s not on the same level as paying a player to do the same.
This situation makes me wonder just how often this happens. Either way Donaghy needs to be made an example of. If a harsh punishment is circumvented it may open the door for many more occurrences. My opinion is people need to sleep in the bed they make, and I think Donaghy’s bed is quite uncomfortable right now. He can only hope the punishment is enforced by the league and not his new friends.
2 comments:
I agree, this incident has given the NBA another black eye, and now fas will forever question the validity of future calls. I sure hope that Donaghy is the only referee that is involved in this scandal, but I have a hard time believing that. One example of it clearly being noticed was during last February when Donaghy was part of a crew working the Heat-Knicks game in New York, the Knicks shot 39 free throws to the Heat's eight, technical fouls were called on Heat coach Pat Riley and assistant Ron Rothstein, and the Knicks won by six. New York was favored by 4 1/2.
If the offset in calls doesn't raise any eyebrows from the other officials that he was working with, than I am willing to bet more referees were in on this so called "isolated scandal...
Chris
Me too. I hope that Donaghy is the only referee that is involved in this scandal.
I feel betrayed by this incident. Now that things stand out. I think it is not easy to remove these doubts.
I know referee's are only human but this should be alarming in so many levels. This scandal has put the NBA and the WWE on the same light for some people. I can't help but ask how may games have Tim Donaghy robbed, especially in the Playoffs?
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