Tim Donaghy

A spokesman for former NBA referee Tim Donaghy says he was attacked in prison by a fellow inmate who claimed he had ties to the New York mob. Pat Zaranek, a spokesman for Donaghy, said Thursday that the former referee, serving a 15-month sentence in a gambling scandal, was struck in the right knee with a stick or other hard object in November. Zaranek, of Executive Prison Consultants, says Donaghy expects to be transferred from the camp in Pensacola to a halfway house in Tampa next week. Zaranek says Donaghy's knee still gives him trouble and that he will need surgery. A Federal Bureau ... Read Full Story

WASHINGTON, Dec 6 Reuters) - Former NBA referee Tim Donaghy, recently released from jail after serving most of a 15-month sentence for taking bribes to provide tips on games, said in an interview aired on Sunday that he had received death threats from organized crime. Donaghy had pleaded guilty to two felony charges and admitted to gambling on National Basketball Association games for four years, including games he officiated. In an interview with the CBS television program "60 Minutes," he said after three years of gambling, the Gambino crime family learned of his activity and threatened Donaghy's wife and children if he did not ... Read Full Story

Disgraced former NBA referee Tim Donaghy says he refused to make calls to affect games even if it meant he lost money and it angered the mob. In one game where he bet on San Antonio, he ejected coach Gregg Popovich midway through the first quarter and the Spurs eventually lost the game. That drew the ire of the mob, which reportedly lost money using his tip. "I just told them that I wasn't making calls in games to influence the outcome," Donaghy said in an interview on "60 Minutes" that aired Sunday night on CBS. "And I'm not going to be able to ... Read Full Story

Disgraced ex-NBA referee Tim Donaghy tells "60 Minutes" the mob threatened his family to ensure he provided his insider picks to inform betting on games. Donaghy's first interview since his arrest in the betting scandal will air Sunday night on CBS. He says he bet on games based on his knowledge of other officials' biases for and against certain players and teams. Donaghy says he was winning 75 percent of the time, which drew the attention of the mob. Donaghy again denies that he influenced any games he called to win a bet. NBA officials declined to participate in the piece but have denied ... Read Full Story

Disgraced former NBA referee Tim Donaghy was a free man Wednesday after serving most of a 15-month sentence in a gambling scandal. Pat Berdan, a consultant working with Donaghy, said he was released from Hernando County Jail in Florida, where he had been held since August after officials said he violated travel restrictions while living at a halfway house in the Tampa area. A New York judge sentenced the ex-referee in July 2008 after Donaghy said he took thousands of dollars from a professional gambler in exchange for inside tips on games — including games he worked. The 42-year-old pleaded guilty to conspiracy to ... Read Full Story