When the news broke this morning about an NBA referee being investigated by the FBI for point shaving, we didn't have a name. Now, we do: ESPN.com is reporting that it's Tim Donaghy:NBA referee Tim Donaghy is under investigation by the FBI for allegations that he bet on games that he officiated over the past two seasons and that he made calls affecting the point spread in games, multiple sources said.The initial report indicated that crooked ref allegedly made calls to manipulate the final score of the game at least 10 times. Now that we know Donaghy is the one under scrutiny, I'm sure it won't be long until both the league and the media reviews every game he officiated with a fine-tooth comb. (I'm guessing it won't be too difficult to find proof, considering Donaghy's name was the first guess by at least one omnipresent sports blog reader.)
Donaghy, a 13-year veteran of the league, is aware of the investigation and resigned from the NBA recently.
In the meantime, The Feed suggests we take a look at his profile on Covers.com, a gambling information site that tracks trends by every NBA referee. Donaghy officiated 74 games last year, and out of 60 referees, he ranked third in the league for officiating the most games where the final score topped the projected over/under. In addition, the home team's record against the spread in games he officiated was just 30-41-3, which ranks 52nd out of 60.
Bear in mind that by themselves, these rankings don't mean anything -- after all, someone has to rank high or low in these categories -- but it's certainly interesting that he ranks among the extremes in these categories instead of in the middle of the pack. I'm sure it'll be just a matter of time before we can point to specific calls in specific games, but astute gamblers already knew that most of the games Donaghy officiated were high-scoring affairs in which the home team lost by more than expected.
Previously on FanHouse:
How Referees Can Affect the Point Spread: Three Examples from 2006-07
Ref Scandal Is Not a Big Deal to This Basketball Junkie
FBI Investigating NBA Ref in Point-Shaving Scandal
Allegedly Crooked Ref Will Surrender Next Week
Sorry, No Photos
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
7-20-2007 @ 3:12PM
Unsilent Majority said...
I love me some me.
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7-20-2007 @ 3:15PM
Jamie Mottram said...
The fact that Unsilent called this leads me to believe that he knows way too much about NBA referees.
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7-20-2007 @ 3:22PM
twoeightnine said...
The fact that Unsilent called this leads me to believe that he owes Donaghy some money.
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7-20-2007 @ 3:31PM
BillyBay Ridge said...
What a week for "Sports Heroes" M.L.B--Bonds The H.R Record Under "Suspiscion of P.H.D"...The N.F.L & Vicks Ties to Organized DogFighting...PGA & G.Player accusation of Steroid use amoungst its competitors and now The N.B.A And this Officials alledged ties to organized Crime and point shaving....
What role models for our children to look up to..
Disgraceful.........
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7-20-2007 @ 3:46PM
Mike said...
Well, I guess we'll all have to start following soccer now that Beckham is here. No big MLS scandals out there....yet.
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7-20-2007 @ 3:49PM
j4site said...
I think it's time that David Stern resign. The playoffs were a joke this year and now he cannot control his officials.
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7-20-2007 @ 3:53PM
Unsilent Majority said...
Donaghy owes me something. He ruined several of my evenings last year. It's hard to enjoy Gilbert when I had to yell at this cheating douche all night.
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7-20-2007 @ 4:06PM
BA said...
I know this guy personally and have played bball with him in Florida. He is a prick and I hope he gets busted as he almost didnt make it off the court when we played
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7-20-2007 @ 4:23PM
echiro34 said...
This ones not going to go over well in the sports community...Is there anything in sports that's not plagued with scandals these days?
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7-20-2007 @ 4:54PM
vclemons92302 said...
Hey, I'm thinking all this carried over into the officiating on NBA Live 07! LOL
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7-20-2007 @ 5:03PM
Unsilent Majority said...
"Is there anything in sports that's not plagued with scandals these days?"
Oddly enough, boxing!
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7-20-2007 @ 5:33PM
Cincinnati said...
I knew it was somethin goin on in the NBA the suns last season was to damn good to not go to the finals well we all know why now jus dont go to my sport wit dis the NFL its too much all ready like the bengals
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7-20-2007 @ 6:53PM
Martin Thames said...
Deja Vu? (Black Sox)?????
If Vick gets indicted for dog fighting, so should this guy.
This ex-ref needs to be arrested, fined, and needs to spend some jail time, no doubt about it.
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7-20-2007 @ 7:19PM
joketrump said...
Preictably, people will blame this on Stern and claim that games are fixed. In spite of his various flaws and indsicretions, what could Stern have done to prevent this. I realize it is too much to ask that people view this rationally but the League is taking a big enough black eye without conspiracy theorists blaming every loss on some sinister all-encompassing plot.
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7-20-2007 @ 7:57PM
carol smith said...
Wow - What addiction does! Let me be clear. We all are responsible for our behavior. Addiction is about throwing away EVERYTHING for the high. How sad.
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7-20-2007 @ 9:53PM
Romey said...
If anybody should resign it should be DAVID STERN, not only has he watered down the league to the point of being unwatchable but not he has reduced it to joke. Maybe Boston Celtic & New York Knicks Fans can finally know why these two storied francishes have not won anything in a while...because of Stern's manipulating Box Scores & Franchises.
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7-20-2007 @ 10:53PM
nba gambling picks said...
Those numbers mean nothing. More than likely it can be attributed to random variance when dealing with such a small sample size. Who is to say that he bet the over on every single one of those games? Also the FBI probe says about 10-12 games not the 74 he officiated. Until the specific games are known everyone is just guessing.
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7-23-2007 @ 11:20AM
Nicholas Roach said...
I have been betting on basketball legally through Loto Quebec's 'Mise au Jeu'. Who will reimburse me for this fraud committed by Tim Donaghy and the NBA. If this had happened in medieval times Mr. Donaghy would be summarly tried and beheaded or the people would have burned him at the stake. Tim Donaghy will go down in history for what is wrong with basketball the way Shoeless Joe is remembered in Baseball. Only Shoeless Joe did less damage and ment less harm than this jerk Donaghy and his ties to the mafia.
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7-26-2007 @ 11:33PM
JOsh powers said...
This confirms how dirty and FIXED the NBA and for taht matter MOST sports here in the US are and have been for years. the great MJ ( michael jordan ) was the NBA's most protected player for years and for a Good reason! he was the hidden GOLD MINE for the NBA for years! im sure they made enough money off him by allowing him and the bulls on their way to Fixed titles and glory. The NBA covered up everything for MJ from gambling to soliciting prostition to even his broken marriage. I stoped watching after the finals where the lakers were badly robbed from a title by the pistons with all the BS calling that went on from the refs. And who can forget those officiating calls during the SB 2 years ago against Seattle when they played Pittsburgh? Ill be honest i made $500 off that game betting on Pitt at - 4.5 but there is no DOUBT in my mind that game was FIXED by the refs. That was one of my last NFL bets but like coach Knight said once "as long as there is gambling allowed in sports, you will continue to see weird and Strange things happen " I used to enjoy and have a passion for american sports but now they just make me sick! I should know because i at one point was also sick myself and was caught up in the gambling game but im glad i was able to get out before it was too late... if you like wrestling enjoy watching the NBA from now on because you will find out its almost as fixed and entartaining as the WWF!!!
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7-27-2007 @ 2:56AM
new2aolsports said...
I gave Stern the benefit of the doubt, but once I heard him say this is one rouge ref, and there are no others betting, I was through with him. That is like saying Vick is the only pro football player betting on dogfights, or Bonds is the only baseball player using steroids. Unless there is a HUGE shakeup in the NBA referee roster, pro basketball in the USA will not survive. Even if others were not betting, they surely know their co-worker was gambling. The NBA may as well start the WWF or WWE of basketball now, because their credibility is totally shot. Stern and co. must take the fans for complete fools, don't they know we are watching the same games as them, and this is just confirmation of what many people thought all along, the games are (way too often)FIXED!
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