Federal prosecutors in Los Angeles have reviewed allegations by Tim Donaghy that a 2002 playoff game between the Kings and Lakers was manipulated by referees and decided not to pursue the case, a law enforcement source said Tuesday.
“The source [Donaghy] was not deemed to be very credible,” the person told Newsday, speaking on condition of anonymity. “The information was reviewed and it was determined that there was nothing to pursue.”
Newsday first reported on June 17 that the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office reviewed Donaghy’s allegation, but determined that the statute of limitations had expired. The report also stated that the information was turned over to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles for review.
In a letter submitted to the U.S. District Court last month, Donaghy’s attorney, John Lauro, alleged that two referees described as “company men” were engaged in a conspiracy to favor the Lakers over the Kings in Game 6 of the 2002 Western Conference Finals in Los Angeles. The reason, according to Lauro, was to extend the series to a seventh game to maximize ticket and broadcast revenue.
The allegation, one of the most sensational to emerge from the year-long probe of Donaghy’s gambling activities, gained credence because the Lakers enjoyed a 40-25 advantage in free-throw attempts in the game – including 27-9 in the fourth quarter – and won, 106-102. Donaghy was sentenced Tuesday to 15 months in federal prison for charges related to betting on NBA games he officiated and providing confidential information to gamblers.
Comments (1)
Gambling by Professional Athletes , Coaches , And Referees is not that uncommon !!!
In December of 1999 Arnie Wexler, a compulsive-gamblers counselor, went to the National Basketball Association office in Manhattan and met with league officials, players and union officials, concerned about players' gambling. He recalled being told, "We have a problem, and we're trying to find out how bad the problem is."
Wexler, a resident of Bradley Beach and former executive director of the New Jersey Council on Compulsive Gambling, was told to keep open dates from January through March, to allow him to address every team in the league.
When he didn't hear from the NBA in a few weeks he called and asked, "When do we start?" -------------You don't, he was told. "They said, "The higher ups didn't want the media to find out.' " ----------The talks were canceled.
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When you look at the recent headlines about professional athletes,coaches and referees. and gambling,
The odds are very good it might be the tip of the ice burg. Athletes may be more vulnerable than the general population when you look at the soft signs of compulsive gambling:
High Levels of energy
Unreasonable expectations of winning
Very competitive personalities
Distorted optimism
Bright with high IQ's
I run a national help line (1-888-LAST BET ).
And over the years, I have spoken to many college and professional athletes who had a gambling problem. Compulsive gambling is an addiction just like alcoholism and chemical dependency and all three diseases are recognized by the American Psychiatric Association's D.S.M. Yet, we treat compulsive gambling different then the other two addictions. Society and professional sports treat people with chemical dependency and alcoholism as sick people, send them to treatment and they get back to work yet they look at compulsive gamblers as bad people and they get barred from playing in professional sports
If the Colleges and professional leagues wanted to help the players, they would run real programs that seriously address the issue of gambling and compulsive gambling. Education and early detection can make a difference between life and death for some people who have or will end up with a gambling addiction.
"They need to have a real program for players, coaches and referees, and they need to let somebody else run it. When you do it in house, it's like the fox running the chicken coop.
You must be kidding your self if you think any player coach or referee is going to call the league and say, 'I've got a gambling problem, and I need help?"
ARNIE IS A RECOVERING COMPULSIVE GAMBLER WHO PLACED HIS LAST BET 4/10/68
CALL ME I WOULD LOVE TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT THIS---ARNIE WEXLER
WWW.ASWEXLER.COM (aswexler@aol.com)
Phone 732 7740019--------------cell 954--5015270