Post by FLCeltsFan on Mar 30, 2010 19:07:38 GMT -5
I don't know if any of you have read Personal Foul by Tim Donaghy or not, but if You haven't, I highly recommend it. I know a lot of people think he fixed games and think of him as a crook but after reading the book, that wasn't at all the impression I have.
He had a gambling addiction and made some mistakes but I don't believe he ever fixed a game. He used the crookedness of the officials as a whole to make some very accurate bets. The problem with the NBA officiating begins with Stern who does send directives to the refs to influence games. It extends to refs who have personal agendas and who make bets among themselves as to who can give the first foul or technical.
After Donaghy told the whole truth to the FBI, they investigated his claims about corruption in the NBA and came to the conclusion that everything he told them was the truth. He passed a lie detector test and their inquiries all proved his claims true. However, there was nothing that they could charge anyone with even though those things were going on. Stern was given the facts and chose to sweep them under the rug just as he did the fraud and tax evasion charges for several of the refs who are still in the top echelon of the refs.
The officiating is going to continue to be corrupt until it is taken out of Stern's hands. Anyway, if you guys haven't read the book, I thought I would recommend it in case you were looking for something to read.
He had a gambling addiction and made some mistakes but I don't believe he ever fixed a game. He used the crookedness of the officials as a whole to make some very accurate bets. The problem with the NBA officiating begins with Stern who does send directives to the refs to influence games. It extends to refs who have personal agendas and who make bets among themselves as to who can give the first foul or technical.
After Donaghy told the whole truth to the FBI, they investigated his claims about corruption in the NBA and came to the conclusion that everything he told them was the truth. He passed a lie detector test and their inquiries all proved his claims true. However, there was nothing that they could charge anyone with even though those things were going on. Stern was given the facts and chose to sweep them under the rug just as he did the fraud and tax evasion charges for several of the refs who are still in the top echelon of the refs.
The officiating is going to continue to be corrupt until it is taken out of Stern's hands. Anyway, if you guys haven't read the book, I thought I would recommend it in case you were looking for something to read.
