NBA
OTD 2007: The FBI Began Investigating Tim Donaghy
July 20, 2007: NBA fans and players alike were shocked to discover NBA referee Tim Donaghy was the subject of a federal investigation
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Referees in professional sports often get a bad wrap. They are expected to make game-changing judgments based on split-second moments. There is a lot of room for error, even with better replay systems, and sports fans are often unforgiving. Accusations are made all the time about referees being biased, corrupt, or even just bad at their jobs. Though often impassioned speculation, there was one confirmed instance of foul play in the NBA that looms over the league to this day, and it all came to light on this day in 2007.
FBI BEGAN INVESTIGATING A NBA REFEREE FOR THROWING GAMES
Tim Donaghy began officiating basketball games in 1994. He was involved with some of the league’s darker episodes, including the infamous “Malice at the Palace,” and a confrontation between himself and Rasheed Wallace following a January game that led to a seven-game suspension for the TrailBlazers star. In 2007, a week following his retirement, the FBI announced Donaghy was the subject of an ongoing investigation into underground sports betting.
The FBI concluded that Tim Donaghy had been illegally betting on games, but it failed to gather enough evidence to show he had been actively fixing them. Many fans and players believe to the contrary because of Donaghy’s connections to the mob and the supposed dubiousness of the investigation’s findings. Donaghy was sentenced to 15 months in prison for his crimes.
July 20, 2007: The FBI announced a formal investigation into longtime NBA referee Tim Donaghy for fixing several games that he officiated over his 13-year career just a week after he retired
— Pro Sports Outlook (@PSO_Sports) July 20, 2021
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