Another ref implicated in Donaghy scandal?

[iowa plowboy]

All I have to say is the NBA is a much harder sport to fix than Football.

Totally untrue.  There is no Tim Donaghy in the NFL.  There are no star calls in the NFL.  You could make a case that the majority of NBA games are fixed with star calls.  The fact that the charge has never prominently been made in the NFL...let alone an official been charged, speaks to that.

If this is true I can't possibly fathom a reason why this ref was called so much if he wasn't apart of the scandal.

If the ref in question now is still reffing next year I do not know what to say.

It doesn't look good, but they are the same age.  Maybe they were best friends and Foster didn't know.    What's sad, incoherent, is that nothing concerning this should be surprising.  If the games weren't officiated based on a false premise to begin with, Donaghy does not exist.  An official can easily get away with the type of thing Donaghy did when the rulebook becomes a breathing document.

[wdleehi]

All I have to say is the NBA is a much harder sport to fix than Football.  In football if you are the line judge you can change the course of a entire game with a holding penalty or pass interference.  With the amount of money being wagered on Football and all professional sports I am sure there is a lot more gambling going on then we all realize. 

Didn't Jai Lai have a really bad gambling problem back in the 80's. 

Professional boxing has been fixed for the last 20 years as well.

Not really.   NBA teams will score.   NFL teams, might score.   How do you fix a 3-0 game?



You want a team to score more then the other team, start calling fouls.  Get the team you want to score more points to the foul line. 

[zerophase]

at the end of the day, i don't buy this single rogue ref crap that the nba is throwing out there. and the nba is one of the easiest sports to fix. in nfl, at least they have instant replay and use it... if only the refs used that in nba...

i do have a solution though: have everyone wear the motion capture suits used to make video games and eliminate refs all together. whenever enough contact is made, the whistle will automatically blow and free throws will be given.

[Schupac]

at the end of the day, i don't buy this single rogue ref crap that the nba is throwing out there. and the nba is one of the easiest sports to fix. in nfl, at least they have instant replay and use it... if only the refs used that in nba...

i do have a solution though: have everyone where the motion capture suits used to make video games and eliminate refs all together. whenever enough contact is made, the whistle will automatically blow and free throws will be given.

LOL I love it.  Forget the officiating crises, it would be like watching a game of NBA-tron.  TP to you for the laugh.

[libermaniac]

If this is true I can't possibly fathom a reason why this ref was called so much if he wasn't apart of the scandal.

Good point.

[zerophase]

If this is true I can't possibly fathom a reason why this ref was called so much if he wasn't apart of the scandal.

Good point.

though it may seem pretty gray, keep in mind what the defense will argue:

friends? its not illegal to call someone a lot. and they'll never prove beyond a doubt what they were talking about during the phone calls.

[cordobes]

If this is true I can't possibly fathom a reason why this ref was called so much if he wasn't apart of the scandal.

Good point.

though it may seem pretty gray, keep in mind what the defense will argue:

friends? its not illegal to call someone a lot. and they'll never prove beyond a doubt what they were talking about during the phone calls.

Yeah, I guess it wouldn't be easy to pursuit criminal charges against Mr. Foster, but come on... friends? Who calls a friend several times a day and each call only takes less than 2 minutes? Were they lovers going through a psycho breakout? This seems the more reasonable explanation, but in that case their sense of opportunity was terrible - most of the calls before and after the fixed games? In all seriousness, Mr. Stern should ask Mr. Foster for a reasonable explanation and allow the public to know what it is. If there's no reasonable explanation, just fire him as soon as possible.

[nickagneta]

If this is true I can't possibly fathom a reason why this ref was called so much if he wasn't apart of the scandal.

Good point.

though it may seem pretty gray, keep in mind what the defense will argue:

friends? its not illegal to call someone a lot. and they'll never prove beyond a doubt what they were talking about during the phone calls.

I'm pretty sure a lot of drug dealers that are now behind bars used that type of defense in explaining away telephone patterns that were brought into evidence against them.

Needless to say that defense didn't work out to great.

However if that is all they have on Foster, it's not enough unless Donaghy were to flip on him.

[Roy Hobbs]

The NBA, not surprisingly, is taking the "nothing to see here, move along" approach.

[nickagneta]

The NBA, not surprisingly, is taking the "nothing to see here, move along" approach.

Stern must figure if it can't make the opening story on Sportscenter during the days when the only other thing happening in sports is an All-Star Baseball game, then it really isn't worth worrying about just yet.

Has any word come forth officially from the NBA on this yet? You would figure that David Stern would have trotted out his toy soldier to have a word or two about it by now.

[Roy Hobbs]

Has any word come forth officially from the NBA on this yet? You would figure that David Stern would have trotted out his toy soldier to have a word or two about it by now.

Yeah.  There statement was as follows:

"The government had complete access to Tim Donaghy's phone records and thoroughly investigated this matter, including conducting an interview of referee Scott Foster," the statement said. "The government has said that they have found no evidence of criminal conduct aside from that of Mr. Donaghy. Once again, the only criminal conduct is that of Mr. Donaghy."

[nickagneta]

Has any word come forth officially from the NBA on this yet? You would figure that David Stern would have trotted out his toy soldier to have a word or two about it by now.

Yeah.  There statement was as follows:

"The government had complete access to Tim Donaghy's phone records and thoroughly investigated this matter, including conducting an interview of referee Scott Foster," the statement said. "The government has said that they have found no evidence of criminal conduct aside from that of Mr. Donaghy. Once again, the only criminal conduct is that of Mr. Donaghy."

Atta way to mention only the known facts and completely ignore the implications of the evidence.

This is what I would expect from a statement by the NBA offices on the release of information early on in the OJ investigation. "

"The LAPD has had complete open access to Mr Simpson and his whereabouts during this period of the investigation, including knowledge that he owns a white Ford Bronco. The LAPD has said there is no visual evidence that Mr Simpson is in the white Ford Bronco being chased by 300 LAPD cruisers at this time. Once again all we know is that Mr. Simpson does own a white Ford Bronco."

All this as video roles in the background of a white Ford Bronco speeding off the 5 and through suburban streets and into a driveway past the mailbox that reads: Simpson.

[jdub1660]

Oh my...how many more refs will pop up as scandalous? I work with someone that says she knows the ref personally that had ejected Duncan year before last for laughing...supposedly a great guy, but I wouldn't be surprised to see his name pop up in all this mess. His calls all see to favor certain players.

[kgiessler]

Has any word come forth officially from the NBA on this yet? You would figure that David Stern would have trotted out his toy soldier to have a word or two about it by now.

Yeah.  There statement was as follows:

"The government had complete access to Tim Donaghy's phone records and thoroughly investigated this matter, including conducting an interview of referee Scott Foster," the statement said. "The government has said that they have found no evidence of criminal conduct aside from that of Mr. Donaghy. Once again, the only criminal conduct is that of Mr. Donaghy."

This may be a stupid question, but I got to ask, and Roy, you'll probably know better than anyone.

It is illegal to fix games as a referee? Do they have an obligation to be fair and truthful in their calls, beyond whatever is in their employment contract?

Any chance anyone knows the charges on Donaghy?  If they are all related to gambling, than Foster could very well be 'clean'.

[kgiessler]

The article on the front page reminded me about this question...wanted to bump it.

Anyone know the details of this?