Tim Donaghy

Tim Donaghy (born January 7, 1967 in Delaware County, Pennsylvania) is a former professional basketball referee in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for 13 seasons from 1994 to 2007. During his career in the NBA, Donaghy officiated in 772 regular-season games and 20 playoff games. Donaghy resigned in early July 2007 just prior to reports of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for allegations that he bet on games that he officiated over the prior two seasons and that he made calls affecting the point spread in those games.

[edit] Betting Scandal

On July 20, 2007, a report of an investigation by the FBI into allegations of an NBA referee betting on games to control the point spread emerged by columnist Murray Weiss of the New York Post. It was later revealed that Donaghy, who has a gambling problem, placed tens of thousands of dollars in bets on games during the 2005-06 NBA season and 2006-07 NBA season and had been approached by lower level mob associates to work on a gambling scheme. Mike Missanelli of the Stephen A. Smith Show suggested that Donaghy had gotten himself into debt and tried to make it up by betting on games. The league only found out about the affair when the FBI stumbled upon Donaghy in the midst of a broader organized crime investigation. NBA Commissioner David Stern said in a statement, "We would like to assure our fans that no amount of effort, time or personnel is being spared to assist in this investigation, to bring to justice an individual who has betrayed the most sacred trust in professional sports, and to take the necessary steps to protect against this ever happening again."