FBI Concludes Donaghy Told the Truth

[magicfan4life05]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/columns/story?id=3439659

Is the FBI investigating Donaghy's allegations? Will others be charged with crimes?

The FBI already has investigated the allegations. Donaghy first met with FBI agents in July 2007. A team of agents has been probing his stories ever since. As the result of their investigations, federal prosecutors have filed what is known as a 5(k) letter. The 5(k) letter means the agents have checked on the stories and have concluded Donaghy was truthful. The 5(k) letter does not apply to the 2002 Western Conference finals Game 6 because the statute of limitations had expired. More than five years went by before Donaghy described that game to any agents. There was no reason to look into that game because no one could be charged with a crime. The 5(k) letter does apply to statements Donaghy made to agents regarding the three games in 2005. The information could result in a reduction of Donaghy's prison sentence when Amon sentences him July 14. He faces a maximum of 33 months in prison under federal guidelines.

Although the FBI has concluded Donaghy was truthful, it does not mean others will be charged with crimes. Agents and prosecutors easily could have concluded that the rigging of the four games was reprehensible but did not qualify as a federal crime. There was no indication of gambling or money laundering or racketeering on the part of the NBA in Donaghy's allegations. If the NBA wants to extend a series to a seventh game, it might be fraud upon the fans, but it is not a federal crime.

So basically the question remaining is will Stern continue to act like a pompous fool who pretends his refs are untouchable, perfect, and are not corrupt and will he continue to dismiss everything with embarrassing arrogance that insults our intelligence but also makes him look like a clown?

FACT: stern said his refs were clean pre donaghy

FACT: one of his refs were corrupt

FACT: stern said he was one AND ONLY BAD REF

FACT: said corrupt ref says nba rigs games

FACT: stern says he makes up BS

FACT: FBI says Donaghy was truthful

FACT: /NBA







oh yeah, one last thing mr stern,

no matter how many nba cares commercials you want to show now, they won't save you, instead you're probably worrying about dress codes and such instead of the vital game that your league is based on while it's being tarnished, discredited, and torn down as we speak.


good job stern!!

[LakerFanMan]

This article flat out says the FBI didn't investigate the rigging games accusations and that the article doesn't apply to accusations of game rigging. This doesn't implicate Stern or the NBA in anything.

[hoop_head]

Stern will say anything to protect the NBA brand name. It's not about truth, it rarely is in these situations. It's about damage control.

[dockingsched]

i don't see how focusing on yao's illegal screens is rigging games. so the nba told its refs to look out for yao's screens, big deal.

[Elway=GOAT]

i don't see how focusing on yao's illegal screens is rigging games. so the nba told its refs to look out for yao's screens, big deal.

Because, as Charles Oakley said, the league is controlling and dictating the games, via officials and sudden rule changes.

[Smoke[MaxX]]

Those aren't sudden rule changes. Referees have always gotten memos before games on what to watch- even in the middle of a series. It's been like that for a long time.

[LakerFanMan]

Saying, "Watch out for Yao's illegal screens" is not making a rule change or dictating anything. All it says is Yao sets a lot of illegal screens so watch out for them. It's like saying, "Watch out for Kobe flailng his arms after jumpshots" or "Watch out for Bruce Bowen playing dirty". That's actually a good thing if that's what's happening. It means the NBA is aware that certain players have a tendency to comit certain fouls and they're watching for it.

[dockingsched]

http://assets.espn.go.com/media/pdf/080 ... aghy03.pdf

if you read the actual letter provided by donaghy's lawyer, you'll see that his allegations regarding the rockets/mavs series are simply that the league instructed its refs to be more strict when calling illegal screens on yao. nothing about making up calls or "fixing" games.


the concerning part, if the f.b.i. does believe donaghy, is his other allegations:

- 2004 a ref friendly with a team's gm purposefully favored that gm's team.

- refs and observers manipulate the post game ref report through their friendships.

- refs carry on against the rules relationships with various team personnel.

- star players are allowed to get away with more "complaining" or possibly "taunting" without being t'ed up. probably allowed a lot of contact prior to receiving their 6th foul


none of those, however, involve the nba top brass fixing games.

[magicfan4life05]

Full Story

Karla Knafel filed a lawsuit in 2002 against Michael Jordan, her former lover, and it was filled with the kinds of juicy revelations that make news cycles dizzy.

One of the details that made a brief appearance and then was largely forgotten is now the most interesting, at least in light of the officiating scandal that is threatening to swallow the NBA.

The lawsuit describes how Jordan and Knafel met:

"In the spring of 1989, Karla was working as a vocalist touring in a band that performed at a hotel in Indianapolis. After Karla's performance, Eddie Rush, an NBA referee, approached her and complimented her about her singing talent. During their conversation, Karla and Mr. Rush talked about the Chicago Bulls and Michael Jordan, who were in town to play the Indianapolis Pacers.

“Mr. Rush told Karla that he personally knew Jordan. To prove it, he telephoned Jordan at Jordan's Indianapolis hotel room and introduced him to Karla over the phone. Karla and Jordan then chatted for a while."

Back in 2002, I wrote about how unsettling it was that a referee was so chummy with an NBA player that he could pick up the phone and, perhaps unknowingly, help launch an affair. What else might a referee be able to do? What might a referee want in return for a favor? I contacted the NBA, which said it would look into the matter. A spokesman talked about the importance of limited contact between referees and players off the court. And then the story went away.

Except it didn't really go away, at least not in the broader sense of what's transpiring as the league wades through the allegations of former ref Tim Donaghy. Besides charging that two officials affected the outcome of a 2002 playoff game, he says that many referees are pals with general managers, coaches and players. He states that officials ask for autographs from players and socialize with coaches. One referee even played tennis regularly with a coach, Donaghy said.

The Jordan-Knafel story involving Ed F. Rush would seem to back up Donaghy's contention that fraternization between refs and players happens. It might even be the norm: business as usual.

One of the absolutes in sports is that the people who officiate the games have to be above reproach. You might be of the opinion that they can't see straight, but you're supposed to believe their failure to see properly is a function of poor eyesight, not gambling debts, bribery or pressure from the league office. Or their friendship with players.

As Commissioner David Stern correctly points out, the ugly allegations are coming from a man who is trying to save what's left of his skin. Donaghy has pleaded guilty to passing along inside information on NBA games to gamblers. Whatever he says should be met with extreme skepticism. When Jose Canseco alleged widespread steroid use in baseball, you could look at the pumped-up bodies of players and admit he might have a point. Donaghy's allegations are subtler.

But Stern knows he has a terrible situation on his hands, one that questions the integrity of his game—integrity being the most important thing of all. The public perception of a conspiracy now exists. And, as Stern also has to know, the perception of a conspiracy might as well be the real thing.

[Texas Longhorns]

Damn the Dallas Mavericks. I knew they would find a way to cheat. They still lost in the 2nd round haha.

[HarlemHeat37]

*

[KDRE]

Amazing how this story has been ignored

[Rocky5000]

Well the Yao accusation was never in doubt really in my mind, or in the mind of Van Gundy. That said, it's not such a huge deal to have a billionaire owner have a little pull with the league office. If they had found that what he said about the SAC series was truthful that would be a whole other bag of marbles. I hope he has some more juicy stuff than what he's said though. The deal with 2002 just plays upon what everyone already believed and it would be very easy to fabricate a story around it. I want stuff from random games during the regular season where there weren't already numoerous articles about the refereeing.

[Smoke[MaxX]]

Damn the Dallas Mavericks. I knew they would find a way to cheat. They still lost in the 2nd round haha.

...At least they got to the 2nd round. In any case, you are ignorant. You've ignored the facts of the case. You've ignored the last 3 posts (not including the one above yours). All you want to do is scream "Mavs cheated! That's the only way they can beat the Rockets! No way illegal screens should be called on Yao!" Cry me a river.

[KF10]

Amazing how this story has been ignored

[RJM]

Conclusion: All of the crap that we've known already for years is true. Big whup.

And now, back to the NBA Finals.

[richboy]

The most important aspect of what TD said was the 2002 stuff. Anybody else think that he pointed to 2002 because his lawyer knew that the fbi couldn't investigate something more than 5 years old. The other stuff is common knowledge. I don't even know if there would be an investigation on the Rocket series and if the league told refs not to throw out star players in the first quarter. Fact is that would be perfectly legal. The only thing to discuss is what happened in 2002.

[JoshB914]

If you read the actual story and look at the facts rather than just looking at the headline you will see there is very little here. Donaghy essentially gave nothing whatsoever regarding the fixing of games.

[SA37]

Genius. Absolutely genius.

[magicfan4life05]

^^
thanks, but in case you thought I made it, I got it from espn.com