Tim Donaghy

September 23rd, 2008 filed in Basketball

Tim Donaghy will be checking into prison today, to begin serving his 15-month sentence. On July 20, 2007, a report of an investigation by the FBI into allegations of an NBA referee betting on games to control the point spread emerged by columnist Murray Weiss of the New York Post. It was later revealed that Donaghy, who has a gambling problem, placed tens of thousands of dollars in bets on games during the 2005-06 NBA season and 2006-07 NBA season and had been approached by lower level mob associates to work on a gambling scheme.

On July 29, 2008, Tim Donaghy was sentenced in Brooklyn federal court to 15 months (he had faced 33 months, but Judge Carol Amon gave him credit for his cooperation) in prison for setting off a gambling scandal that tarnished the league’s reputation and raised questions about the integrity of its officiating. Donaghy is scheduled to begin serving his sentence on Tuesday September 23, 2008 at a minimum security federal prison camp in Pensacola, Florida.

League commissioner David Stern has repeatedly denied Donaghy’s claim that corruption among referees goes beyond him. The NBA is still awaiting the results of an independent review of its officiating programs — the so-called Pedowitz Report, named after former federal prosecutor Lawrence Pedowitz, whom the league commissioned to conduct the study. Presumably, the league is banking on the Pedowitz Report to confirm the point that Donaghy was a lone operator and that no other officials engaged in criminal activity or compromised the league’s credibility. Pedowitz is expected to make public his report before the October 28th start of the NBA season.

The scandal has brought some attention from congress, but at the moment they seem busy with more important matters. The House Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection has shown interest, but does not currently plan to call hearings. “We continue to monitor developments and to review oversight and enforcement measures the NBA has put in place to ensure that the integrity of the sport is not undermined by referees or others in authority associated with this premiere sport,” said Rush, the subcommittee chairman. “Our subcommittee has no plans to hold a hearing on this matter this year, but I retain my right to raise questions or to request information from Commissioner Stern, and others, as circumstances warrant. Our monitoring of this situation continues to be ongoing whether or not Congress is in session.”