Reflections on Tim Donaghy

One of the top stories in sports for 2007 did not focus on the athletes for once; instead it was focused on NBA referee Tim Donaghy and one of the darkest days in the history of the NBA. The story first became public in July of 2007 when the New York Post discussed a report of an investigation by the FBI into allegations of an NBA referee betting on games. As the details started to surface, Tom Donaghy was named as the offender and we started to learn how he placed thousands of dollars in bets on games during the 2005 and 2006 NBA seasons. There was speculation that Donaghy was in debt to the mob and was doing what he was asked to do.

What made this even more of a shock is how the NBA, found out about this investigation at the same time as the general public. This despite the fact that the league spends considerable resources on monitoring their officials and players with the intent to quell these practices. NBA president David Stern constantly claimed Donaghy was a rogue referee and he did not represent the rest of the NBA's officials. This incident caused many conspiracy theorists to point the finger to those playoff games in the past where officiating made an impact in the playoffs, whether it was lengthening a playoff series or altering the eventual series winner.

The investigation continued from all sides into Donaghy and the games he worked. A variety of incidents were brought to life that showed everyone what kind of impact Donaghy's actions could have on a NBA game even if he did not affect who won the contest. A prime example focused on how many times teams scored more points than expected by the Las Vegas sport books. From 2003 to 2004, NBA teams only managed to complete this feat 44% of the time. But when you look at the same statistics for 2005 and 2006, NBA teams scored more points than expected 57% of the time. Experts said a referee could fix the total score of a game by calling enough fouls to make sure both teams get into the bonus where they are going to the foul line.