The NBA--Tim Donaghy leaks out hints

Ya im glad Boozer finally pulled his head out of his butt and actually started playing good.

"chet" wrote:agreed, colledge sports are much more fun to spectate!

but no where neer as much fun as watching two monster mule deer go head-to-head!

can i get an amen to that?

ts been a while since i've checked in but: Did the Jazz get cheated out of the second round?

NEW YORK (AP)—Disgraced basketball referee Tim Donaghy told investigators in the NBA betting probe that relationships among officials, coaches and players “affected the outcome of games,” his attorney said. The league said the charges were unfounded.

Donaghy’s attorney made the assertions in a letter filed in U.S. District Court in Brooklyn on Monday, in which he argued that his client should be sentenced to probation because he fully cooperated with prosecutors and has been undergoing treatment for his gambling addiction.

The attorney also suggested that Donaghy told investigators about the gambling activities of other NBA officials and about a referee that passed “confidential” information to an unidentified coach.

The attorney, John F. Lauro, wrote that the U.S. attorney’s office for the Eastern District agreed to plea agreements with other defendants in the case, even though his client told investigators about NBA matters outside of the government’s initial investigation. Lauro said the disparity in treatment could not be fully explained because prosecutors have “surrounded this case with a cone of silence.”

The U.S. attorney’s office said Tuesday it has no comment.
In this Tuesday, April 10, 2007 file photo, NBA official Tim Donaghy talks with another official during an NBA basketball game between the Washington Wizards and New Jersey Nets in Washington. Lawyers for the disgraced referee said in a Brooklyn federal court filing Monday, May 19, 2008 their client deserves to be sentenced to probation because he cooperated in the probe into NBA betting and because he has "a pathological gambling condition."
In this Tuesday, April 10, 200…
AP - May 19, 11:52 pm EDT

In a footnote, the attorney suggested that the NBA might have “pressured” the attorney’s office “into shutting down this prosecution to avoid the disclosure of information unrelated to Tim’s conduct.”

“The letter filed today on Mr. Donaghy’s behalf contains an assortment of lies, unfounded allegations, and facts that have been previously acknowledged, such as the fact that certain NBA referees engaged in casino gambling in violation of NBA rules,” said Joel Litvin, the NBA president for league and basketball operations, in a statement. “The letter is the desperate act of a convicted felon who is hoping to avoid prison time.”

The veteran referee pleaded guilty last year to felony charges for taking cash payoffs from gamblers and betting on games he officiated.

While citing Donaghy’s commitment to his family, charitable activities and positive feedback for his career as a referee prior to his “tragic fall from grace,” his attorney said that his client’s “aberrant conduct” can only be understood in the context of his gambling addiction, a “crippling disease, which prevented him from exercising complete rational self control.”

Lauro wrote that Donaghy is taking steps to get treatment for his condition, including therapy with a gambling counselor and attending Gamblers Anonymous meetings.

“Without a doubt, Tim made significant errors in judgment, but he also tried to right the wrongs of his conduct by assisting the government and seeking treatment for his disorder,” Lauro wrote.

Donaghy is scheduled to be sentenced on July 14. By law, he faces up to 25 years in prison, though the term could be much lower under sentencing guidelines.

NEW YORK (AFP) - The attorney for disgraced former National Basketball Association referee Tim Donaghy filed a letter in US District Court claiming the gambling scandal Donaghy aided went deeper among NBA employees.

John Lauro, Donaghy's lawyer, claimed the outcomes of NBA games were influenced by relationships between referees and league players and coaches. Donaghy officiated in the NBA for 13 seasons before resigning last year.

"Tim described the gambling activities of NBA officials, which were contrary to league rules," Lauro's letter said. "He also furnished information concerning circumstances that favored certain players or teams over others."

The 36-page letter argues Donaghy should not serve time behind bars after a guilty plea on fraud and gambling charges. Donaghy, 41, faces up to 25 years in prison and a 500,000-dollar fine at a July 14 sentencing hearing.

The letter also claimed the NBA pressed prosecutors to shut down the case to keep the extent of the scandal secret and that another referee gave a coach confidential information, potentially affecting a game's outcome.

The NBA "allowed an environment to exist that made inside information, including knowledge of the particular officials who would work a game, valuable in connection with predicting the outcome of games," Lauro claimed.

"Particular relationships between officials and coaches or players affected the outcome of games, and other practices prevented games from being played on a level playing field."

No details on any of the claims were provided in the letter and Joel Litvin, the NBA president of league and basketball operations, made a statement dismissing the allegations.

"The letter is the desperate act of a convicted felon who is hoping to avoid prison time," Litvin said. "The only thing it proves is that Mr. Donaghy is no more trustworthy today than he was when he was breaking the law by betting on NBA games."

Lauro claimed Donaghy's associates in the scheme threatened the referee's family, claims denied by lawyers for others prosecuted in the case.