Gambling ref Tim Donaghy blows the whistle on NBA

Gambling ref Tim Donaghy blows the whistle on NBA Tim Donaghy, the NBA referee who admitted of gambling and placing bets on over 100 games he officiated, is now accusing prosecutors of shutting down the gambling probe to spare the NBA more embarrassment. According to Donaghy'a lawyer, the referee told the prosecutors in the NBA gambling probe about other refs placing bets on the games they officiated in violation of the league's rules. Tim Donaghy also told the prosecutors about "particular relationships" between referees and coaches, as well as a referee who was passing confidential information to an unidentified coach, reports claim. Speculations are that Donaghy, who is facing sentencing in July and could get up to 33 months in prison, is coming out with this information following the deals Donaghy's gambling friends, James Battista and Thomas Martino, cut with the feds. The NBA has not commented on the allegations yet. Tim Donaghy spent 13 years as an NBA referee, before resigning on July 9th 2007, after the gambling scandal went public.

Published on 05/20/2008