How Did Tim Donaghy Almost Bring The Entire NBA Down?
The documentary series "Untold" brings to the fore the 2007 NBA Betting Scandal. It involved allegations of multiple NBA referees intentionally siding with certain results for personal benefits. Tim Donaghy was found guilty.
Tim Donaghy used to bet on NBA games that he officiated. He was working for the NBA. Jimmy Battista and his group of bookies used Tim's predictions to place bets on the same teams. Battistas threatened Tim with harm if he didn't work with him. He eventually left the business. Tim is now working as a match official. The NBA rules state that match officials can't place any bets. However, some referees went gambling in casinos while traveling for games. They would also place friendly bets among each other. This is against the rules. In the end, Tim was involved in a betting scam.
Tim Donaghy was a referee in the NBA for three years. He was accused of running a sports-betting scam. The FBI was investigating the Gambino crime family. They wanted to arrest him, but he was able to convince his lawyer to cover up the scandal. He signed a statement agreeing to the statement. It was later revealed that others in NBA knew about the scam and were involved. Tim was allowed to go back to his job. “Operation Flagrant Foul” was conducted by FBI agent Phil Scala. His team wanted Tim to confess to all the crimes and uncover the network of referee scandals in basketball.
Tim Donaghy was involved in a gambling scam. Tommy Martino and Battista were also involved. Tim served his sentence and is back to his normal life. His wife Kim filed for divorce after his illegal acts became public. Since the scandal, the NBA has revised its rules and allowed referees to place bets on sports events. The NBA also recently embraced sports gambling. Referees earn more money if they can push for an extra game during the playoffs. The infamous Game 6 of the 2002 Western Conference Finals between the Lakers and the Kings also finds its place in the discussion. NBA itself would benefit if any playoff tie went to the 7th and most tense game.
