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Source: Gambler claims 13 referees involved in NBA betting scandal

Discussion in 'NBA Dish' started by rockergordon, Nov 25, 2009.

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  1. rockergordon

    rockergordon Member

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    http://www3.whdh.com/news/articles/sports/BO130486/

    News sports director Joe Amorosino is reporting the following:

    BOSTON -- A source tells 7Sports that the gambler at the center of the 2008 NBA betting scandal says 13 referees were involved.

    Jimmy "The Sheep" Battista pleaded guilty to conspiracy to transmit wagering information in connection with disgraced NBA official Tim Donaghy and served 15 months in federal prison.

    The source also tells 7Sports that Battista claims he has the phone records to prove his contact with these 13 referees.

    Donaghy served 15 months in federal prison for providing inside tips on NBA games to a professional gambler in exchange for money.

    When the scandal broke in June of 2008, NBA commissioner David Stern called Donaghy a "rogue, isolated criminal."

    The source tells 7Sports that Battista says he had a "Big-5" of dependable referees with Tim Donaghy being the "King" as Battista called him, who the gambler says delivered a winning bet 78 percent of the time in games he officiated.

    The 7Sports source says that on December 12, 2006, the night before the Celtics played the Philadelphia 76ers, Battista says he met with Donaghy and a mutual high school friend.

    On that night, the gambler claims they made a deal which according to Battista involved Donaghy supplying information including injury reports and referee assignments and Battista making the bets.

    The source says that according to Battista, the first game the two men bet on together was the Celtics-76ers game the following night -- a game Donaghy officiated and one the Celtics covered with ease.

    The Celtics were 1 1/2 point favorites, but with 10 minutes to play in the third quarter, the score was tied.

    The Celtics would eventually go on to win by 20 points.

    The source says Battista is making these claims as he works to finalize a tell-all book deal.

    (Copyright (c) 2009 Sunbeam Television Corp. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
     
    #1 rockergordon, Nov 25, 2009
  2. robbie380

    robbie380 ლ(▀̿Ĺ̯▀̿ ̿ლ)
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    wow! this would be a nuclear bomb for the nba if true.
     
    #2 robbie380, Nov 25, 2009
  3. RedRedemption

    RedRedemption Member

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    Wasn't it obvious? These refs are so one-sided. It's either one team or the other. The calls are NEVER fair for both teams. It's either favored to one team, or the other.
     
    #3 RedRedemption, Nov 25, 2009
  4. MadMax

    MadMax Member

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    this really needs to not be true.
     
    #4 MadMax, Nov 25, 2009
  5. solid

    solid Member

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    If Joey Crawford is one of them.......would you be surprised?
     
    #5 solid, Nov 25, 2009
  6. Steve_Francis_rules

    Steve_Francis_rules Member

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    Not at all. Actually, I can't think of any ref that I'd be surprised to hear was a cheat.
     
    #6 Steve_Francis_rules, Nov 25, 2009
  7. justtxyank

    justtxyank Member

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    There is a massive coverup that has taken place here. Donaghy tried to implicate other refs if I recall in order to get a better deal, but the NBA went full court on the "rogue official" and the government basically shut Donaghy down and ignored the possibility of others being involved.

    Poor Stern.

    As Basso likes to say, POLICE YOUR OWN.
     
    #7 justtxyank, Nov 25, 2009
  8. kpsta

    kpsta Member

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    Jimmy "The Sheep" Battista... still love that name.
     
    #8 kpsta, Nov 25, 2009
  9. Rocketman2000

    Rocketman2000 Member

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    I have a bad feeling that this has been going on for a long time. Stern really needs to clean house ... NOW!!!
     
    #9 Rocketman2000, Nov 25, 2009
  10. ChrisP

    ChrisP Member

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    Shocking... not. I'm sure Stern will continue to deny, deny, deny. That's how he handles everything that makes the NBA look bad.
     
    #10 ChrisP, Nov 25, 2009
  11. RunninRaven

    RunninRaven Member
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    Wow...this could hurt BAD. How many referees does the NBA employ overall? Can't be more than 30 or so, right? So this would comprise about half of the refs the NBA counted on to give a even handed game. I think this would be a bigger black eye than steroids in baseball.

    I have friends who are not big time basketball fans tell me for years that they believe that the NBA was fixed and outcomes were determined beforehand. I always thought that was so ridiculous and I couldn't believe that a referee could impact a game so thoroughly that it would make sense to pay them off. But if these guys really did deliver a 78% winning bet...hell, I guess I was wrong.

    As Max said, I really, really, really, really REALLY hope this is wrong.
     
    #11 RunninRaven, Nov 25, 2009
    Last edited: Nov 25, 2009
    1 person likes this.
  12. jopatmc

    jopatmc Member

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    If Joey Crawford ISN'T one of them I will be shocked and flabberghasted.
     
    #12 jopatmc, Nov 25, 2009
  13. rhadamanthus

    rhadamanthus Member

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    Completely not surprised.
     
    #13 rhadamanthus, Nov 25, 2009
  14. JuanValdez

    JuanValdez Member

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    I think there are 58 refs (recalling from the ref union contract dispute).

    Somehow, I don't think it's going to hurt the league. I think the public has the desire and the capacity to wilfully forget that this ever happened and continue to consume NBA basketball just like before. Will I find Stern's determination to deny everything to be annoying, it probably is effective in keeping the league's image. As long as the corruption of the league isn't indisputable, people will find a way to not worry about it. Stern will say this guy's a criminal trying to sell books with outrageous claims, and the public will go along with it. I notice you're still here talking about NBA basketball. So am I.
     
    #14 JuanValdez, Nov 25, 2009
  15. KingCheetah

    KingCheetah Atomic Playboy
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    A source tells 7Sports...The source also tells 7Sports that Battista claims he has the phone records to prove
    ______

    Wouldn't those phone records have come out during the trial/ who is this 'source' ?
     
    #15 KingCheetah, Nov 25, 2009
  16. rimrocker

    rimrocker Member

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    Makes you wonder how we beat the Knicks... Rockets must have been good enough to overcome all that.
     
    #16 rimrocker, Nov 25, 2009
  17. melo_elo

    melo_elo Member

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    since the bets on rockets are very profitable(nobody expected us of anything), guess this is why are we winning then :eek: :grin:

    half joke/half not, but it gives something to think about...
     
    #17 melo_elo, Nov 25, 2009
  18. SamFisher

    SamFisher Member

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    So i trust the feds decided not to prosecute these other referees and Donaghy kept quiet about them? Right....
     
    #18 SamFisher, Nov 25, 2009
  19. wreck

    wreck Member

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    wow!!! not really a surprise that this has come out im sure the nba wanted to cover it up. nba will be the next steroid scandal and it will distract everyone for years, until baseball starts juicing up again
     
    #19 wreck, Nov 25, 2009
  20. Easy

    Easy Boban Only Fan
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    Just as there will always be people who believe in conspiracy theories, there will always be people who will find ways to deny ALL conspiracies.
     
    #20 Easy, Nov 25, 2009
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