| 0 |
Subject: Nba-referee fixing games?
Posted by: deejay
- Donor [501182710] Fri, Jul 20, 2007, 09:07
Link:
http://www.nypost.com/seven/07202007/news/columnists/nba_in_a_fix_columnists_murray_weiss.htm
[I]July 20, 2007 -- 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.
Federal agents are set to arrest the referee and a cadre of mobsters and their associates who lined their pockets, sources said.
"These are dangerous people [the referee] was involved with," a source said.
One source close to the probe counted the number of games on which the ref and his wiseguy buddies scored windfalls in the "double digits."
NBA Commissioner David Stern is aware of the investigation and has a report about the referee on his desk, another source said.
The official, whose name was withheld, allegedly wagered on games during the 2005-06 and 2006-07 NBA seasons.
James Margolin, an FBI spokesman, declined comment on the latest black eye for professional sports.
The sources indicated the referee apparently had a gambling problem, slipped into debt and fell prey to mob thugs.
"That's how he got himself into this predicament" by wagering with mob-connected bookies, one source said.
Professional basketball has remained largely unscathed by allegations of game-fixing, although college basketball has been rocked by several scandals involving point-shaving by players, but not officials.
One of the most recent was a Boston College point-shaving scam arranged in the 1980s by mobster Henry Hill, who bribed several players. Hill later became a government informant, and his life was depicted in the movie "GoodFellas."
Having a referee in their pockets provides a two-fold bonanza to game fixers.
Gamblers would be able to directly cash in by betting on games where they knew the point spread was compromised.
But having a ref in their pocket could prove even more lucrative to crooks in a bookmaking syndicate.
Bookmakers hope to encourage an equal amount of betting on each team and make their money on the "vigorish," which is typically 10 percent of a losing bet.
But armed with the inside information, the bookmaking syndicate could set an artificial point spread that would encourage large "layoff" bets from other bookies carrying too much action on one team, that were likely now to lose.
An FBI organized-crime squad in the bureau's flagship New York office is handling the case, but the referee traveled the country officiating various games on which he allegedly bet.
It was not determined which games were allegedly affected by the referee's actions, or how much money may have been won by him and his cohorts.
The FBI got wind of the scheme while conducting a separate mob investigation.
The most prominent American sport- gambling scandal in recent history involved Cincinnati Reds manager Pete Rose, who was banned from baseball in 1989 for betting on his own team.
Based largely on testimony of two Rose associates, Ron Peters and Paul Janszen, Major League Baseball determined that from 1985 through 1987, Rose bet on baseball, including 52 Reds games in 1987, at a minimum of $10,000 a game.
All of Rose's bets on Cincinnati were to win.
murray.weiss@nypost.co[/I]
|
| 1 | Ref
Donor
ID: 539581218
Fri, Jul 20, 2007, 11:02
|
WOW!
This is going to dominate the headlines for some time. It's a veteran official. It had to be since every call is graded but veterans are harder to get rid of by the league.
|
| 2 | Frick
Donor
ID: 3410101718
Fri, Jul 20, 2007, 14:13
|
This is just a evil plot by Stern to get rid of Violet Palmer.
|
| 3 | KnicksFan
ID: 551391816
Fri, Jul 20, 2007, 16:29
|
Let's play the guessing game.
I'll pick Danny Crawford.
|
| 4 | deejay
Donor
ID: 501182710
Fri, Jul 20, 2007, 17:08
|
per rotoworld:
The FBI is investigating allegations that veteran NBA referee Tim Donaghy bet on basketball games over the past two seasons, including ones in which he officiated.
A law enforcement official told the AP that authorities are examining whether the referee made calls to affect the point spread in games on which he or associates had wagered. The FBI probe also involves allegations that the referee had connections to organized crime associates. If Donaghy did bet on basketball games in which he officiated, it would be a huge black mark against the NBA.
Source: The Associated Press
|
| 5 | Twarpy
ID: 53443916
Fri, Jul 20, 2007, 17:18
|
Wow, Michael Vick has to be happy, focus certainly changed quickly.
This is one of those cases that I imagine before it is closed there is going to be at least one more major player implicated.
|
| 6 | Ref
Donor
ID: 539581218
Sat, Jul 21, 2007, 00:15
|
Say it ain't so Tim.
|
| 7 | Mike D
Leader
ID: 041831612
Sat, Jul 21, 2007, 08:00
|
Lots of good stuff here---
The real Tim Donaghy?
"NBA officials, sources said, are painstakingly studying tapes from the past two seasons under FBI suspicion (2005-06 and 2006-07). It is believed that more than a dozen games could've been deliberately affected by Donaghy's calls, games where he and the mob associates had bet thousands of dollars on the point spreads.
The fact that his performance reviews hadn't suffered these past two years reminded the league office how the manipulating of a game can be done in the most subtle of ways, without alarming even the most educated eyes."
|
| 8 | wolfer
ID: 486151922
Sat, Jul 21, 2007, 10:17
|
Here's some better stuff. This guy is a great neighbor.
They were talking about this on the Ferrall show last night. Supposedly he did not like what his attorney did during the case and he slashed his attorneys tires.
|
| 9 | Tree
ID: 396122110
Sat, Jul 21, 2007, 11:58
|
man. no wonder the Mavs lost in the first round. if this clown hadn't reffed that one game, it would all be different... ;o)
|
| 10 | Seattle Zen
ID: 86541617
Sat, Jul 21, 2007, 13:18
|
This can easily be prevented. The NBA needs to negotiate with the ref union to require complete access to every financial transaction for each member. If you want to be a ref, you must voluntarily waive all privacy regarding your finances. Every dollar you spend or receive will be monitored by the NBA. With the automation of our financial institutions, this would be easy.
This disaster probably has happened before, the NBA was lucky that they caught wind of Donaghy. The integrity of the game is now in question. While waiving your right to financial privacy is not a decision to be taken lightly, that great sacrifice really is necessary. I cannot imagine that any current ref would balk at the request.
|
| 11 | Tree
ID: 426192112
Sat, Jul 21, 2007, 13:20
|
well, except maybe Tim Donaghy...
|
| 12 | Ref
Donor
ID: 539581218
Sat, Jul 21, 2007, 16:37
|
Re: 10
In order to become a NBA game official you must sign a release to all of your banking and monetary transactions. Has been a long-standing policy. Also, someone from the executiv branch (CIA/FBI etc) talks to the membership every year about gambling and what situation to stay out of and how these relationships could get you into trouble. The anti-gambling policy is very deep and detailed.
Obviously, Donaghy got around it and even with the detailed grading system was able to do some things. All officials miss plays. It's a tough gig. But I've never seen an official not make an honest effort on the court to get the plays right.
This is the first time it's ever happened to my knowledge in the USA. This could taint not only the NBA, but basketball officials and other sports officiating from now on.
|
| 13 | Seattle Zen
ID: 86541617
Sat, Jul 21, 2007, 17:59
|
In order to become a NBA game official you must sign a release to all of your banking and monetary transactions.
Interesting. Perhaps the NBA felt that the officials would not gamble with the mob simply because the officials knew the NBA was "watching" their finances. Hopefully, now the League actually will watch every dime come and go.
Officials miss calls, it is near impossible by simply watching game tapes to catch a liar like Donaghy. Perhaps the NBA needs to watch the point spread and look to see if someone is making questionable calls late in games when the spread is really close. Even that might not have been enough to catch Donaghy.
|
| 14 | Ref
Donor
ID: 539581218
Sat, Jul 21, 2007, 18:10
|
Zen, it is my understanding that esp. after the tax issues that many faced in the 90s that every dime is watched by the NBA Security. I could be wrong on some details. I know they are taxed on everything now--some things that they shouldn't be IMM.
|
| 15 | Ref
Donor
ID: 539581218
Sat, Jul 21, 2007, 18:37
|
I just did a search and found what we were just talking about
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - For former NBA official Gary Benson, this scenario is about as bad as it gets - a colleague under investigation amid allegations of betting on basketball.
"If I were in that gentleman's shoes, that would be the worst nightmare," Benson said Friday.
The FBI is investigating allegations that veteran NBA referee Tim Donaghy bet on basketball games over the past two seasons, including ones in which he officiated. Benson said he'd heard rumblings about the investigation for about two weeks but wasn't certain of any details. He did give a glimpse, however, of how the news is affecting the officiating community.
"If you're hurting that bad, you need to get some help somewhere," Benson said. "But to turn around and potentially jeopardize reputations and integrity of a bunch of good people who get questioned on everything from A to Z every time we take the floor anyway - it just is ... I'm shocked."
"You don't wish ill will on anybody," Benson added. "You hope that this is not right."
Benson, 50, was an NBA official for 17 years. He worked his last game in 2005 before retiring because of knee problems. He now lives in Mountain Pine, Ark.
Benson said the league has taken a number of steps to try to preserve the integrity of its officials.
"Your bank accounts are open to the league. You sign a release. The NBA has its own security department, and the security department usually is retired FBI and Secret Service - we're talking career people ... that know what to look for," he said. "When I was there, they would bring in an active spokesman from one of the branches of government. ... I think one year we had the Secret Service come in. I can't remember if we had the FBI come in one year. But they would get up and go through their spiel: 'These are the scenarios, and this is how you can get yourself in a mess."'
Benson also expressed some sympathy for Donaghy, if the allegations are true.
"I feel not only for him but for his family," Benson said. "My goodness, why put your family in harm's way?"
|
| 16 | Species
Dude
ID: 07724916
Tue, Jul 24, 2007, 15:39
|
Zen: "Perhaps the NBA needs to watch the point spread and look to see if someone is making questionable calls late in games when the spread is really close. Even that might not have been enough to catch Donaghy. "
....and if you caught any highlights of Stern's press conference, you heard something to that effect - that they have a "consultant" in Las Vegas that tracks to see if there's any weird point spread movement. I guess the next step is to have additional review of calls in games where spreads were close.
While I suppose the NBA could have done a "better" job, it sure seems to me like they have a lot of controls in place to TRY to avoid this stuff. This isn't like baseball and steriods where you have some out of control problem that got ignored. While the NBA deserves a black mark, I personally do not look at the game as fixed, or that I have been cheated over the years over it.
|
| 17 | barilko6
ID: 52261810
Tue, Jul 24, 2007, 16:16
|
According to ESPN radio on Sirius, all NBA officials are forbidden to do any betting of any kind, whether it be casinos, horse racing, sports books, etc. Word is that Donaghy was a known gambler within the league and has been in front of Stern a couple times because of it.
|
| 18 | Ref
Donor
ID: 539581218
Tue, Jul 24, 2007, 16:45
|
During the season, NBA refs aren't even allowed to step foot in a Casino-let alone any form of betting.
|
| 19 | Ref
Donor
ID: 539581218
Tue, Jul 24, 2007, 16:48
|
barilko6:
I read on ESPN that the league was tipped-off about his alleged gambling in Atlantic City and went to every single casino in town to investigate it and it proved that he had not been any of those afterall.
|
| 20 | CJ
Sustainer
ID: 499271021
Sat, Sep 29, 2007, 07:48
|
10 Seattle Zen
I suspect the NBA will be in part to blame as they did not do there homework or follow up on thee referee's?
|
| 21 | Ref
Donor
ID: 539581218
Sun, Oct 21, 2007, 15:22
|
The NBA has disciplined six referees for violating its anti-gambling rules, according to a report in the New York Daily News.
The nameless officials were found in violation of the league's anti-gambling policy for infractions such as going to casinos. "Nobody's getting suspended," a source told the Daily News. "They were reprimanded and punished, but nobody lost their job." Oct. 21 - 1:21 pm et
|
| Rate this thread: | If you wish, you may rate this thread on scale of 1-5. Ratings should indicate how valuable or interesting you believe this thread would be to other users of this forum. A '5' means that this thread is a 'must read'. A '1' means that this is a complete waste of time. If you have previously rated this thread, rating it again will delete your previous rating. If you do not want to rate this thread, but want to see how others have rated it, then click the button without entering a rating, or else click here. |
|
|
|
Post a reply to this message: (But first, how about checking out this sponsor?)
|
|