Sports betting (legal and illegal) is a huge business, worldwide.
On July 29th, former referee Tim Donaghy is scheduled (again) to be sentenced for passing information to gamblers, which gave them an edge in betting on NBA games.
Why has it taken so long to pass judgement? You'd have to ask the lawyers and everyone has lawyers. Donaghy, the league and even the referees are represented by council, as the defendent tries to manipulate a lighter sentence and the other parties try to keep the NBA from becoming irrelevant entertainment, like professional wrestling.
Here is the gist of Donaghy's claim for leniency as presented by William Bender of the Philadelphia Daily News on June 11th.
In a letter submitted yesterday to U.S. District Court Judge Carol Amon, attorney John Lauro detailed Donaghy's testimony on the "inner-workings" of the NBA - a league in which Donaghy alleges executives manipulate games to boost earnings, referees accept gifts from coaches, and "anonymous" observers who are supposed to monitor the referees' performances hobnob with the refs in their locker room.
Even on the less than high definition quality picture of my vintage Betamax , it became obvious to me, during the Eastern Conference finals in 1981, that some basketball games were officiated differently than some others.
Watching the Philadelphia 76ers, giving up leads of 17 & 11 points respectively; while being held, poked, pummeled and pounded, during long stretches in the waning minutes of games six and seven, unable to score, possession after possession, under the watchful eyes of the three blind mice in striped shirts, gave credence to the lament of all of the losers' fans that had been suggesting for years that Boston got favorable calls.
Remember, there weren't that many games televised in those days, which meant my vision of the events on the floor were being channeled by legendary homer announcer, Johnny Most.
From there it was the "Jordan Rules" and the resultant acceptance of one criteria for the superstar and another for the rest of the players.
I don't remember any real anger setting in until Shaquille O'Neal joined the Lakers and I watched in horror as he bulled his way to the hoop, knocking down anyone in his path, for the basket "and one."
I didn't need Tim Donaghy's legal team to tell me that the Sacramento Kings got screwed in 2002 .
I've often commented on the apparent ability of the league to influence the outcome of any game or series, merely by stressing certain instructions given to the referees for that event.
rasheed-wallace.article.jpgAll it would take is to show some footage and instruct the refs. to keep an eye on the low post banging, to take Shaq out of any game. Showing footage of pulling and grabbing on the perimeter, would allow slashers like Dwayne Wade a much easier time. Since there are uncalled infractions on literally every possession almost any team or player can be singled out to be aided or retarded by attention to certain traits and tendencies.
Why should it be a surprise that in this climate of flexible rules and implications that the league office was manipulating outcomes to get even with critics like Mark Cuban and favor big market franchises, that a referee would figure out how to cash in on this information?
Suffice it to say that I was not shocked to read that Donaghy was indicted (and convicted).
Now we read in an article by Jana Winter for Fox News that another referee, Scott Foster, might have some explaining to do..........
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...(cell phone)records show Donaghy placed 134 calls to referee Scott Foster a€" more than the 126 calls Donaghy made to his bookie a€" 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.
Donaghy might logically communicate with other referees he was officiating with, and there are many such calls in Donaghy's records. But Donaghy and Foster did not referee a single game together during the 2006-2007 season.
Donaghy also had three other cell phone numbers registered in his name, all of which he used. But he called Foster using the phone the feds say he designated for mostly gambling-related use.
The short calls with Foster stopped abruptly in mid March 2007, when Donaghy is believed to have stopped his gambling.
0_65_scott_foster7.jpg R.J. Bell of Pregame.com has tracked some of the games that Foster officiated. Here are some excerpts from that damning report .
During the 2006-07 period under investigation, 10 games refereed by Scott Foster had lopsided enough betting on one team to move the point spread by at least 2 points; those 10 teams were UNDEFEATED against Vegas meaning that the big-money gamblers won a perfect 10 of 10 times on Fosters games; the odds of that happening randomly are greater than 1000 to 1 against!
Also of note is the number of games refereed by Foster and Donaghy that resulted in big line moves. Ten of 62 games involving Foster during the period under investigation had line moves of 2 points or more (16% of games). Eight of 73 games refereed by Donaghy during 06-07 had line moves of 2 points or more (11%) of games. Combined, the two questionable referees had big line moves in 13% of their games. A random sample of the first 100 NBA games of December 2007 resulted in only 6% of games having a line move of 2 points or more.... Donaghy and Fosters games had big line moves over double as often as a random sample of NBA games.
Thinking out loud, I wonder how Fox got the phone records in the first place?
Could it be Donaghy's legal team, which implied in previous public statements that they had provided evidence of other ref's involvement which were being ignored by prosecutors? Someone on the prosecution team, or even in the league office, being frustrated by a coverup?
Has anyone asked Donaghy what the conversations were about? If he's really serious about seeking leniency.... as a co-operating defendant and all that....I must presume that this topic will be broached.
This is a story that will just not go away, as evinced by this article by Michael McCann for Sports Illustrated.
watergate7a.jpgThough still unlikely, the odds of a Congressional investigation increased with news of Donaghy's and Foster's unusual calling pattern. (The calls reportedly tended to last less than two minutes and occur before and after games that Donaghy officiated and has admitted to betting on. No information is known about the nature of the calls, though government investigators have interviewed Foster.)
Rep. Bobby Rush of Illinois, chairman of the House Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection, has expressed interest in the Donaghy investigation and more generally in how the NBA safeguards against criminal influences. In fact, in a letter addressed to commissioner David Stern last year, Rush admonished, "If the [Donaghy] allegations prove true, this could be one of the most damaging scandals in the history of American sports." ...last month, Rush wrote again to Stern, firmly insisting that Donaghy's statements to federal investigators raise "serious questions about the validity" of the NBA's assurances and, perhaps ominously for the league, that Rush is prepared "to intervene if necessary." To the extent Foster's role implicates the NBA in its monitoring of referees, Rush will clearly be more inclined to call a hearing. Sharon Jenkins, a spokesperson for Rush, confirmed to SI.com that the congressman is well aware of the Donaghy/Foster phone calls and is closely following the developments. She also said Rush may exercise his right to call a hearing.
You can read Zebraphobia Pt 1, posted to this site in June of 2007: Here
Michael McCann the previously noted writer for Sports Illustrated is also associated with The Sports Law Blog and will be the guest of Celtics Stuff Live to talk about this unfolding situation, on August 3rd., a few days after the next attempted sentencing of Donaghy.
On July 29th, former referee Tim Donaghy is scheduled (again) to be sentenced for passing information to gamblers, which gave them an edge in betting on NBA games.
Why has it taken so long to pass judgement? You'd have to ask the lawyers and everyone has lawyers. Donaghy, the league and even the referees are represented by council, as the defendent tries to manipulate a lighter sentence and the other parties try to keep the NBA from becoming irrelevant entertainment, like professional wrestling.
Here is the gist of Donaghy's claim for leniency as presented by William Bender of the Philadelphia Daily News on June 11th.
In a letter submitted yesterday to U.S. District Court Judge Carol Amon, attorney John Lauro detailed Donaghy's testimony on the "inner-workings" of the NBA - a league in which Donaghy alleges executives manipulate games to boost earnings, referees accept gifts from coaches, and "anonymous" observers who are supposed to monitor the referees' performances hobnob with the refs in their locker room.
Even on the less than high definition quality picture of my vintage Betamax , it became obvious to me, during the Eastern Conference finals in 1981, that some basketball games were officiated differently than some others.
Watching the Philadelphia 76ers, giving up leads of 17 & 11 points respectively; while being held, poked, pummeled and pounded, during long stretches in the waning minutes of games six and seven, unable to score, possession after possession, under the watchful eyes of the three blind mice in striped shirts, gave credence to the lament of all of the losers' fans that had been suggesting for years that Boston got favorable calls.
Remember, there weren't that many games televised in those days, which meant my vision of the events on the floor were being channeled by legendary homer announcer, Johnny Most.
From there it was the "Jordan Rules" and the resultant acceptance of one criteria for the superstar and another for the rest of the players.
I don't remember any real anger setting in until Shaquille O'Neal joined the Lakers and I watched in horror as he bulled his way to the hoop, knocking down anyone in his path, for the basket "and one."
I didn't need Tim Donaghy's legal team to tell me that the Sacramento Kings got screwed in 2002 .
I've often commented on the apparent ability of the league to influence the outcome of any game or series, merely by stressing certain instructions given to the referees for that event.
rasheed-wallace.article.jpgAll it would take is to show some footage and instruct the refs. to keep an eye on the low post banging, to take Shaq out of any game. Showing footage of pulling and grabbing on the perimeter, would allow slashers like Dwayne Wade a much easier time. Since there are uncalled infractions on literally every possession almost any team or player can be singled out to be aided or retarded by attention to certain traits and tendencies.
Why should it be a surprise that in this climate of flexible rules and implications that the league office was manipulating outcomes to get even with critics like Mark Cuban and favor big market franchises, that a referee would figure out how to cash in on this information?
Suffice it to say that I was not shocked to read that Donaghy was indicted (and convicted).
Now we read in an article by Jana Winter for Fox News that another referee, Scott Foster, might have some explaining to do..........
Read More
...(cell phone)records show Donaghy placed 134 calls to referee Scott Foster a€" more than the 126 calls Donaghy made to his bookie a€" 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.
Donaghy might logically communicate with other referees he was officiating with, and there are many such calls in Donaghy's records. But Donaghy and Foster did not referee a single game together during the 2006-2007 season.
Donaghy also had three other cell phone numbers registered in his name, all of which he used. But he called Foster using the phone the feds say he designated for mostly gambling-related use.
The short calls with Foster stopped abruptly in mid March 2007, when Donaghy is believed to have stopped his gambling.
0_65_scott_foster7.jpg R.J. Bell of Pregame.com has tracked some of the games that Foster officiated. Here are some excerpts from that damning report .
During the 2006-07 period under investigation, 10 games refereed by Scott Foster had lopsided enough betting on one team to move the point spread by at least 2 points; those 10 teams were UNDEFEATED against Vegas meaning that the big-money gamblers won a perfect 10 of 10 times on Fosters games; the odds of that happening randomly are greater than 1000 to 1 against!
Also of note is the number of games refereed by Foster and Donaghy that resulted in big line moves. Ten of 62 games involving Foster during the period under investigation had line moves of 2 points or more (16% of games). Eight of 73 games refereed by Donaghy during 06-07 had line moves of 2 points or more (11%) of games. Combined, the two questionable referees had big line moves in 13% of their games. A random sample of the first 100 NBA games of December 2007 resulted in only 6% of games having a line move of 2 points or more.... Donaghy and Fosters games had big line moves over double as often as a random sample of NBA games.
Thinking out loud, I wonder how Fox got the phone records in the first place?
Could it be Donaghy's legal team, which implied in previous public statements that they had provided evidence of other ref's involvement which were being ignored by prosecutors? Someone on the prosecution team, or even in the league office, being frustrated by a coverup?
Has anyone asked Donaghy what the conversations were about? If he's really serious about seeking leniency.... as a co-operating defendant and all that....I must presume that this topic will be broached.
This is a story that will just not go away, as evinced by this article by Michael McCann for Sports Illustrated.
watergate7a.jpgThough still unlikely, the odds of a Congressional investigation increased with news of Donaghy's and Foster's unusual calling pattern. (The calls reportedly tended to last less than two minutes and occur before and after games that Donaghy officiated and has admitted to betting on. No information is known about the nature of the calls, though government investigators have interviewed Foster.)
Rep. Bobby Rush of Illinois, chairman of the House Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection, has expressed interest in the Donaghy investigation and more generally in how the NBA safeguards against criminal influences. In fact, in a letter addressed to commissioner David Stern last year, Rush admonished, "If the [Donaghy] allegations prove true, this could be one of the most damaging scandals in the history of American sports." ...last month, Rush wrote again to Stern, firmly insisting that Donaghy's statements to federal investigators raise "serious questions about the validity" of the NBA's assurances and, perhaps ominously for the league, that Rush is prepared "to intervene if necessary." To the extent Foster's role implicates the NBA in its monitoring of referees, Rush will clearly be more inclined to call a hearing. Sharon Jenkins, a spokesperson for Rush, confirmed to SI.com that the congressman is well aware of the Donaghy/Foster phone calls and is closely following the developments. She also said Rush may exercise his right to call a hearing.
You can read Zebraphobia Pt 1, posted to this site in June of 2007: Here
Michael McCann the previously noted writer for Sports Illustrated is also associated with The Sports Law Blog and will be the guest of Celtics Stuff Live to talk about this unfolding situation, on August 3rd., a few days after the next attempted sentencing of Donaghy.
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