Posted on 07/14/2008 11:23:46 PM PDT by Roberts
EXCLUSIVE: NEW YORK — NBA referee Tim Donaghy made repeated phone calls to a second referee at the same time he provided inside information to professional gamblers during the course of the 2006-2007 season, according to court documents and phone records obtained by FOXNews.com.
The records show Donaghy placed 134 calls to referee Scott Foster — more than the 126 calls Donaghy made to his bookie — between October 2006 and April 2007, the period during which he has confessed to either betting on games or passing on game information to gamblers. The majority of the phone calls lasted no more than two minutes and occurred prior to and after games Donaghy officiated and on which he admits wagering.
With the exception of 150 calls Donaghy placed to Thomas Martino, to whom he says he provided “picks” to win games and who was the middleman between the disgraced referee and a bookie named James Battista, the ex-ref phoned no one more than he called Foster. During this period, the most calls Donaghy made to any other referee were 13.
It’s unclear what information was exchanged during the calls between Foster and Donaghy, who is awaiting sentencing later this month in federal court after reaching a plea deal in the case. Federal prosecutors in the case declined to comment on this report. But former federal prosecutors not involved in the investigation say the frequency and duration of the calls, as well as the days they took place, are suspicious.
The new information may call into question insistent claims by NBA Commissioner David Stern that Donaghy was a “rogue, isolated criminal” acting on his own, without the cooperation of any other referees or league officials.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
An organization with tons of rich,thug employees, ran by greed merchants and they don’t think low-paid refs might want a piece of the action???????????
the same with football.....after that "storybook" superbowl that was awarded to the Steelers, nothing is believable anymore....
This is the only sport I know of that actually has different rules for different players. As long as it’s sanctioned by the league, why shouldn’t a ref make some money off of it.?
NBA refs are no different than pro-wrestling refs.
Actually, this happens in baseball as well. The young pitchers get small strike zones and so do the "super" batters. All the commentators remarked about the small strike zone given to Barry Bonds. It seemed as if the refs decided to take a rest and let Barry call the balls and strikes.
It's wrestling with a ball.
Once the fans knew the "names" of the refs and their "personalities" it was over. Point shaving and gambling is old news. That's why it takes 15 minutes to play the last 60 seconds of a game. ya just gotta get the point spread right.
If the FBI and IRS are really interested they should just do an asset or forensic financial audit on the refs. Look at all their bank accounts, wire transfers, off shore activity and what assets they have for the salary they earn.
That's if they "want" to know what is really going on.
The only basketball really worthwhile is the NCAA finals.
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