NBA offer to take the heat off the Vick situation

[rattsass 103]

Just when it looked like the NFL was going to supplant the NBA in the negative public relations wars, the NBA fires a retaliatory salvo today. A gamblers worst fears realized:

 

July 20, 2007 N.Y. Post-- THE FBI is investigating an NBA referee who allegedly was betting on basketball games - including ones he was officiating during the past two seasons - as part of an organized-crime probe in the Big Apple, The Post has learned.

 

The investigation, which began more than a year ago, is zeroing in on blockbuster allegations that the referee was making calls that affected the point spread to guarantee that he - and the hoods who had their hooks in him - cashed in on large bets.

 

Federal agents are set to arrest the referee and a cadre of mobsters and their associates who lined their pockets, sources said.

 

"These are dangerous people [the referee] was involved with," a source said.

 

One source close to the probe counted the number of games on which the ref and his wiseguy buddies scored windfalls in the "double digits."

 

NBA Commissioner David Stern is aware of the investigation and has a report about the referee on his desk, another source said.

 

The official, whose name was withheld, allegedly wagered on games during the 2005-06 and 2006-07 NBA seasons.

 

James Margolin, an FBI spokesman, declined comment on the latest black eye for professional sports.

 

The sources indicated the referee apparently had a gambling problem, slipped into debt and fell prey to mob thugs.

 

"That's how he got himself into this predicament" by wagering with mob-connected bookies, one source said.

 

Professional basketball has remained largely unscathed by allegations of game-fixing, although college basketball has been rocked by several scandals involving point-shaving by players, but not officials.

 

One of the most recent was a Boston College point-shaving scam arranged in the 1980s by mobster Henry Hill, who bribed several players. Hill later became a government informant, and his life was depicted in the movie "GoodFellas."

 

Having a referee in their pockets provides a two-fold bonanza to game fixers.

 

Gamblers would be able to directly cash in by betting on games where they knew the point spread was compromised.

 

But having a ref in their pocket could prove even more lucrative to crooks in a bookmaking syndicate.

 

Bookmakers hope to encourage an equal amount of betting on each team and make their money on the "vigorish," which is typically 10 percent of a losing bet.

 

But armed with the inside information, the bookmaking syndicate could set an artificial point spread that would encourage large "layoff" bets from other bookies carrying too much action on one team, that were likely now to lose.

 

An FBI organized-crime squad in the bureau's flagship New York office is handling the case, but the referee traveled the country officiating various games on which he allegedly bet.

 

It was not determined which games were allegedly affected by the referee's actions, or how much money may have been won by him and his cohorts.

 

The FBI got wind of the scheme while conducting a separate mob investigation.

 

The most prominent American sport- gambling scandal in recent history involved Cincinnati Reds manager Pete Rose, who was banned from baseball in 1989 for betting on his own team.

 

Based largely on testimony of two Rose associates, Ron Peters and Paul Janszen, Major League Baseball determined that from 1985 through 1987, Rose bet on baseball, including 52 Reds games in 1987, at a minimum of $10,000 a game.

 

All of Rose's bets on Cincinnati were to win.

[The Wolf 0]

Joey Crawford's name came up during the season as he was behaving erratically, throwing around T's and such. I wonder...

[Bronco Billy 209]

The really sad thing: You ought to be able to point out one ref right away as being very questionable while the rest were above board.

 

Unfortunately, with the way the game is officiated now, it could be almost any of them.

 

That's pretty freakin' sad.

[rebdog 13]

The really sad thing: You ought to be able to point out one ref right away as being very questionable while the rest were above board.

 

Unfortunately, with the way the game is officiated now, it could be almost any of them.

 

That's pretty freakin' sad.

 

 

i heard that.

[Dutch Oven 0]

Man, Crawford is a real good call here. The refs haven't been the best the past few seasons, but Crawford has been atrocious, not to mention a ginormous prick.

[jjpro11 0]

some of those 40+ fouls to 10 fouls sure do make you wonder. anyways, this could kill the league.. especially coming off horrible ratings in the nba finals, even with its biggest star.

[The Wolf 0]

This probably is more of a thread for the Tailgate but you KNOW the NHL has to be loving this -- in spite of their poor ratings:

 

MLB -- HUUUUGE steroid problem tarnishing the game

NBA -- Possible game fixing scandal?

NFL -- Player conduct and Michael Vick

[godtomsatan 27]

This probably is more of a thread for the Tailgate but you KNOW the NHL has to be loving this -- in spite of their poor ratings:

 

More people follow MLS than the NHL.

[BeeR 242]

This probably is more of a thread for the Tailgate but you KNOW the NHL has to be loving this -- in spite of their poor ratings:

 

MLB -- HUUUUGE steroid problem tarnishing the game

NBA -- Possible game fixing scandal?

NFL -- Player conduct and Michael Vick

Oh, so you're saying these leagues - which are dominated by minorities - are all screwed up, but the NHL - which is almost entirely white - isn't?

 

racist.

[Ursa Majoris 166]

some of those 40+ fouls to 10 fouls sure do make you wonder. anyways, this could kill the league.. especially coming off horrible ratings in the nba finals, even with its biggest star.

Been saying for years the NBA is bent. Seems to me is next to impossible to referee basketball accurately anyway - a lot of fouls / non-fouls are pure guesswork and instinct - so it's really easy to hide if you're a crooked ref.

[The Wolf 0]

Oh, so you're saying these leagues - which are dominated by minorities - are all screwed up, but the NHL - which is almost entirely white - isn't?

 

racist.

 

...yeah...you caught me...

[Perchoutofwater 15]

Been saying for years the NBA is bent. Seems to me is next to impossible to referee basketball accurately anyway - a lot of fouls / non-fouls are pure guesswork and instinct - so it's really easy to hide if you're a crooked ref.

 

No doubt. All you have to do is look at the championship series between the Heat and the Mavs two years ago. It was obvious that the refs were bailing Wade out the entire game. One guy goes to the line more in a game than the entire opposing team. It was just ridiculous. That is why I now refuse to watch the NBA on TV. I'll still go to a couple of live games (primarily because we have subs that have nice tickets) but that is mainly for the atmosphere and not the outcome.

[Egret 2]

Looks like 'sheed isn't so crazy now!

[Ursa Majoris 166]

No doubt. All you have to do is look at the championship series between the Heat and the Mavs two years ago. It was obvious that the refs were bailing Wade out the entire game. One guy goes to the line more in a game than the entire opposing team. It was just ridiculous. That is why I now refuse to watch the NBA on TV. I'll still go to a couple of live games (primarily because we have subs that have nice tickets) but that is mainly for the atmosphere and not the outcome.

You really only need one ref for a successful points-shaving enterprise, so it's even easier to hide the crookedness. One interesting thing you sometimes see is where one ref makes a call that everyone can see is bad and the other two come over to consult but the first ref insists on the call standing.

[Ursa Majoris 166]

BTW, Crawford was suspended at the end of last season and Stern said something about him "not coming back". If it's Crawford, the NBA have already put their damage limitation measures into action.

 

Crawford has worked more postseason games than any active ref. His suspension will last at least through the NBA Finals, and he apparently will have to meet with Stern after that to discuss reinstatement.

 

"Especially in light of similar prior acts by this official, a significant suspension is warranted," Stern said in a statement. "Although Joey is consistently rated as one of our top referees, he must be held accountable for his actions on the floor, and we will have further discussions with him following the season to be sure he understands his responsibilities."

 

But Crawford made it clear to NBA executive vice president Stu Jackson on Tuesday that he would eject Duncan again if the circumstances were the same.

 

Crawford likewise informed superiors, including Stern, and fellow referees via e-mail Tuesday that "if my employer does not think that was acceptable, I have a problem" working in the future. Crawford has maintained from the start that Duncan deserved two technicals for what he deemed to be disrespecting the game by "laughing [at] and mocking the officials."

 

However, in his e-mail to Bloomberg News, Crawford appeared to imply that he didn't expect to officiate an NBA game again in his career.

 

"Please do not be sad for me," Crawford wrote to Bloomberg News. "I have had a great run and a great career and nobody will ever take that from me."

Edited July 20, 2007 by Ursa Majoris

[The Wolf 0]

More people follow MLS than the NHL.

 

Now that Victoria Beckham is here, I may do the same...

[BeeR 242]

 

No doubt. All you have to do is look at the championship series between the Heat and the Mavs two years ago. It was obvious that the refs were bailing Wade out the entire game. One guy goes to the line more in a game than the entire opposing team. It was just ridiculous.

oh cmon, next thing you'll say is that they favored M Jordan. Let's get real.

[Ursa Majoris 166]

BTW, Crawford was suspended at the end of last season and Stern said something about him "not coming back". If it's Crawford, the NBA have already put their damage limitation measures into action.

It isn't Crawford, it's Tim Donaghy.