Gambling in the NBA

David Stern commissioner of the NBA pointed out a "rogue, isolated criminal" for a betting scandal that has devastated the league and threatened the credibility and trust of every referee. A disappointed Stern stated that he felt betrayed by Tim Donaghy, a former referee of the NBA. Donaghy was the target of an FBI investigation for betting on games, including some he officiated. The FBI first contacted the NBA on June 20 to talk about a referee alleged to be gambling on games. Both sides met on June 21. Donaghy resigned July 9, though Stern said he wanted to fire him sooner but was told it might affect the investigation. Although Donaghy has been charged with a crime, the referee's lawyer told the league his Donaghy was constructing a plea.

Investigators are also examining whether Donaghy provided inside information to outside references like referee schedules. "Not only aren't they permitted to either gamble or provide information to people, they may not even provide other than to their immediate family the details of their travel schedules or the games they are going to work" said commissioner David Stern. Stern compares Donaghy to someone that has committed treason.

The commissioner said there was nothing suspicious about Donaghy's foul call frequency, his bank account size or anything else that would have triggered off the league. Donaghy was a referee for 13 years in the NBA. Stern rated him at the top of officials. This gambling investigation wasn't the first time Donaghy was in trouble with the league. In 2005, the NBA investigated a dispute between Donaghy and his neighbors. Pete and Lisa Mansueto, his neighbors sued Donaghy for harassment and invasion of privacy. They also accused him of vandalizing their property and stalking Lisa Mansueto.

I believe the NBA will recover from this incident. This was one of the most serious situations the NBA has encountered. Stricter rules and regulations may have to be imposed to prevent such incidents.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2947237