LAS VEGAS — A National Basketball Assn. referee is being investigated by the FBI for allegedly betting on NBA games that he refereed during the last two years.
Tim Donaghy, who recently resigned after 13 seasons in the NBA, is the referee under investigation, according to the league and a source close to the inquiry.
NBA Commissioner David Stern released a statement Friday in which he said the league was cooperating with the FBI "in their investigation of allegations that a single NBA referee bet on NBA games that he officiated."
Donaghy, 40, has worked more than 700 regular-season NBA games and at least 20 playoff games.
Stern said the league "would like to assure our fans that no amount of effort, time or personnel is being spared to assist in this investigation, to bring to justice an individual who has betrayed the most sacred trust in professional sports, and to take the necessary steps to protect against this ever happening again. We will have more to say at a press conference that will be scheduled for next week."
Defense attorney John Lauro confirmed Donaghy was under investigation but would not talk about the case, the Associated Press reported. Donaghy could not be reached for comment.
The investigation is particularly sensitive for the NBA because Las Vegas casinos routinely set point spreads on games. If the underdog team is expected to lose by, say, five points but ends up losing by four, then gamblers betting on that team win their bet.
Basketball is a very physical game, so that a referee's judgment could play a major role in the outcome and the point spreads. For example, if two players collide during a shot in the final seconds of a game, a referee can call a foul on the defensive or offensive player, or choose not to call a foul.
An unidentified law enforcement official told the Associated Press that authorities were trying to determine whether Donaghy made calls to affect the point spread in games in which he or associates had placed bets. The games under investigation were played during the 2005-06 and 2006-07 seasons. The FBI probe also reportedly involves allegations that the referee had connections to organized-crime associates.
Donaghy had a gambling problem, according to the law enforcement official, and was approached by low-level mob associates through an acquaintance.
