Posted on 07/20/2007 1:50:07 PM PDT by grace522
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. A law enforcement official told the AP on the condition of anonymity that the referee was aware of the investigation and was planning to surrender next week. The official said the bets involved thousands of dollars and were made on games during the 2005-2006 and the 2006-2007 seasons. The NBA issued a brief statement: "We have been asked by the FBI, with whom we are working closely, not to comment on this matter at this time." 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.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
I saw this on “The Soprano’s”
And so it goes...
Ha! I don't think so. I'm a big sports fan and this is the first I've heard of it. Of course I don't get the local rag, but I am on FR every day. No, this won't get much traction at all.
I t will take alot to fix Thugball.
Would you like to retract your previous comment? JK
It will if other refs get named. It could spell the end of the NBA, at least for a couple of years.
No I wouldn't. This should be far bigger than it has been, imho. There are still people covering up much of this actual scandal. Meanwhile, it's 24/7 coverage of a fag Senator even though "it's just about sex." The Senator, while a lying hack, broke no law, but that doesn't keep the media from screaming REPUBLICAN SCANDAL, REPUBLICAN SCANDAL, REPUBLICAN SCANDAL! Just another diversion for the masses.
Which is exactly why David Stern and his team of Marketeers are squashing any investigations and are handling this "internally." Hey, at least the ref didn't hurt any dogs, so he's got that going for him.
The Michael Vick story is way bigger than this ref scandal.
It is, but it shouldn't be. I've heard probably 15 news stories that the main thing is that now Michael Vick has been linked with (GASP!)gambling, via dog fighting. This ref betting on and shaving points off of games is far worse than anything Vick did, the dogs' deaths notwithstanding. I just don't see the level of outrage by anyone regarding the ref's actions. That's simply because the media sees more sensationalism in the doggie stories and that's what they highlight, imho.
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