Ex-NBA Referee Tim Donaghy gets sentenced today to 15 Months
July 29th, 2008 – Dr. J-Water
The Can. The Slammer. The House of Correction. The Brig. The Penitentiary. The Holding. The Prison. The Lock-down. The Cell. The Clink. The Cooler. The Tank. The Stockade. The Joint. The Pen.
Hell it doesn’t really matter what you call the damn thing. I just call it plain and simply “jail”, and that is exactly where ex-NBA referee and jackoff Tim Donaghy is headed. If the world was filled with people who were as die-hard basketball and NBA fans as my colleagues in the blogosphere are, you would realize that Tim Donaghy is much better off in prison. He should be hoping for an extension in there. Hell I’m sure there are a few die hard hoops fans that are current inmates in whatever jail they put Donaghy. They are probably going to have some fun with this cat, huh?
The Facts: 41 year old Tim Donaghy was sentenced today to 15 months in prison for betting on over 40 games in 2006-2007 in which he was either officiating or had inside information about. He also made money from taking cash payments in exchange for inside information on player injuries and information. The prosecution was seeking 27-33 months but Donaghy’s legal team was pushing for 6 months. Donaghy had this to say after the sentencing. Donaghy had this to say to the court: “I’m very sorry for the acts for which I stand before you, I brought shame on myself.” (Ya think??)
How could he disrespect the game like that? And for what…
I am not so sheltered that I don’t realize that almost everyone can be bought depending on the price. But that is what brings me to one of the most disturbing things about Tim Donaghy’s actions. It came out in the court documents that the cash Donaghy was taking for his inside intel on player injuries and other team information was only totaling somewhere in the neighborhood of $30,000 a year. Now I realize this may be the only figure they could pin on him and it could have been much greater but c’mon. I was expecting him to be making ten times that to be risking his career and reputation. He disgraced himself, but more importantly the league and the legitimacy of two straight NBA seasons and multiple important games for what, 30 g’s?
Here’s what David Stern had to say about the situation: “We anticipate that the judge’s sentencing decision, together with the changes we have made to our referee operations staff, will enable us to continue with the improvements we are making to our anti-gambling rules, policies and procedures”
Personally I am so glad this whole fiasco is behind us so we can forget that lowlife and get back to discussing issues and people that actually matter to the league. Donaghy is a blip on the radar. He is insignificant. The only time in the future I want to hear personal stories of NBA referees is when they are really old and planning to have a foot race with Charles Barkley.
