Were all the questions answered?
I’m really not sure how to interpret Tim Donaghy admitting this morning that he engaged in wire fraud and transmitted waging information through interstate commerce.
The legalese is too confusing.
Let’s just say the real crime Donaghy committed was creating reasonable doubt every time a debatable whistle blows in the NBA.
The fallout is going to continue for years to come. Right now, David Stern could use a timely assist from the FBI, which investigated this case. It would be nice if somebody jumped in front of a microphone and explained the scope of the investigation.
We keep hearing Donaghy was a rogue, but it would be helpful to know an outside agency checked over the league’s roster of referees to make sure this really was an isolated incident.
There has to be a level of trust, or the game is ruined.
At least we know what Donaghy was up to, providing information to his unsavory friends in the underworld. When the inside tips paid off, he collected. The league will probably use that information to develop a new system of disseminating information to the officials.
Lock them all in a room until game time, maybe.
There is no way this is good news for the league. I honestly believe those of us who are locked into the NBA underestimate the impact of this mess. We aren’t going anywhere. It’s the fans who jump on and off bandwagons that are likely to be turned off by the league.
Any sport with a small but loyal group of supporters is just hockey.
Here’s a statement from Stern issued by the NBA:
“As expected, former NBA referee Tim Donaghy pleaded guilty today to betting on NBA games, including games in which he officiated, and providing confidential information to others who bet on NBA games. We will continue with our ongoing and thorough review of the league’s officiating program to ensure that the best possible policies and procedures are in place to protect the integrity of our game.�
August 15th, 2007 at 10:17 pm
Mike,
Should I be more concerned about this than I am? I guess that my take on the matter is that betting, steroids, corked bats, etc. is inevitable. Certain people will find a loophole and cheat. Results in sports are always based on strange bounces, human error, and human frailty. This is simply another, of course absolutely dispicable, version of the same chaotic confluence. So, unless there is compelling evidence that more people were involved I’m willing to let it pass. If it is a conspiracy, I’m gonna find a new hobby and that will include baseball and football.
So, you keep sounding the alarm that this could be a larger problem. What have you seen on the court to make you believe it? I mean, I always see contact that isn’t called and I see phantom calls on replays like everyone else. I’m willing to accept bad calls, but do you smell a rat?
August 16th, 2007 at 4:11 pm
Dan,
I haven’t seen anything, but I realize the NBA has a credibility issue with some fair weather fans, the ones they are working to lure back. It’s just impossibly hard for the refs to be right all the time with the game moving so fast. Any questionable call will result in finger-pointing. These are the people who affect TV ratings, attendance, merchandise sales. That’s where it becomes an issue.