Is Tim Donaghy’s Life in Danger?
Plus: All Donaghy, all the time.
I had a much better weekend than Tim Donaghy. While I spent a couple of days visiting my folks and kicking back, Donaghy sat and watched his life completely unravel. Not only is he being investigated by the feds, but he’s now receiving death threats and his family wants him in the witness-protection program.
“Our concern is for his safety and his family’s safety,” said Sheriff’s Lt. Robert Mealy. “We are definitely going to share any information we get with the FBI.”
“They think he will be killed if he goes to prison, or even if he doesn’t, just because he’s probably talking, cooperating, and that’s ratting on the mob,” the pal said. “I don’t think [the Mafia] would take that very well.
“[Relatives] are very concerned for his safety,” the friend added. “I think they knew something serious was going on, but not like this, not this big, whole life-or-death issue with the Mafia. I mean, it’s the Gambinos.”
(I think I speak for everyone when I say, “holy sh*t!”)
Perhaps the most interesting part of the article, is the claim by one of the Post’s sources that Donaghy will be naming other supposedly crooked individuals affiliated with the NBA. Clearly, this will not end well.
-Did Donaghy and crew fix Game 3 of the epic Suns/Spurs series? This YouTuber seems to think so.
-Everyone seems to be in agreement on one thing: Tim Donaghy was a pretty terrible human being, off the basketball court even.
In June 2002, he was charged with disorderly conduct and harassment for nearly running a U.S. postal carrier off the road after the mailman accidentally knocked over a bin of recyclables in front of the ref’s Pennsylvania home.
“He was pretty nasty,” mail carrier Charles Brogan, 48, said as he recalled trying to make a delivery at Donaghy’s West Goshen house. “I just drove down the road. I thought, ‘No way I’m going back there.’”
As Brogan attempted to drive his route, a screaming Donaghy chased him by hopping into his car and speeding after the postal truck, Brogan said.
-Mark Cuban, perhaps surprisingly, did not use the scandal as an opportunity to once again rail against the League and its officiating.
-According to this article, the NBA had a private investigator digging into Donaghy’s gambling habit more than a year ago but let him keep his job.
71 Responses to “Is Tim Donaghy’s Life in Danger?”
Jul.23 at 9:28 am
Russ Bengtson says:
Call me old-fashioned, but maybe he should have thought about the whole death threats thing BEFORE HE GOT INVOLVED WITH THE MOB. I repeat, I hope he gets whacked. Good riddance.
Jul.23 at 9:32 am
mutoni says:
russ: cold-blooded.
Jul.23 at 9:34 am
white hot eboy says:
Mutoni, has there been any indication of how long he’s been under investigation or is it just the last two seasons that are in question? Also, as a Heat fan, I would like to point out that Dum Dum Donaghy had no work during the 2006 finals.
Jul.23 at 9:36 am
BETCATS says:
2pac died this way, trid to run awy from gangs and end up dead, so if Dounghay gets whacked (russ you aint tony soprano) he might score his own suit line.
Jul.23 at 9:40 am
mutoni says:
i think it’s just the last two seasons, whitehoteboy.
Jul.23 at 9:41 am
Bigi says:
The Real Life Sopranos…This is crazy.
Jul.23 at 9:42 am
Gerard Himself says:
Russ, you’re kidding right? Just asking here, just want to be sure. The man made a huge mistake, but in no way does he deserve to die. I hope he will get the witness protection program. For him and his family.
By the way, does he have a wife and kids?
Jul.23 at 9:48 am
white hot eboy says:
I think the NBA can survive this if it’s just contained to Dum Dum’s actions. If him or someone else in the investigation names team insiders (trainers, scouts), other refs, etc. as accessories to this, there may be a complete shutout by the casual fan.
Jul.23 at 9:49 am
Russ Bengtson says:
Yes, he has a wife and kids. And I’m kidding to an extent, but you’re telling me he didn’t think about all this stuff before he got involved? He’s not a witness, he’s a criminal. He deserves punishment, not a fresh start.
Jul.23 at 9:56 am
KT says:
I sure hope they get a statement and find out who else is involved before he gets whacked.
SUNS FAN!
Jul.23 at 9:57 am
Gerard Himself says:
Of course he thought about this, and yes, he should deserve punishment. But in what way? Sure, lock him up for years and years to come. But not for life, and his life certainly should not be in danger. The on positive thing? I hope the media finally stops calling black players ‘thugs’ and ‘gangsters’; because the only gangster in the L is a middle-aged white guy looking like Steve Carrell.
Jul.23 at 9:58 am
white hot eboy says:
Russ, is what he did worse or better than what Mr. Vick is accused of. Who deserves the bigger punishment is both are prosecuted?
Jul.23 at 9:59 am
white hot eboy says:
Gerard, are you forgetting Ron-Ron, Zach, Birdman & or even James Posey, all of whom commited crimes, regardless of severity. Let’s be equal opportunity haters if we’re going that route.
Jul.23 at 10:00 am
Keith says:
Tim Donaghy maths: Gambling problem + mob ‘help’ = Biggest problem he could have.
Jul.23 at 10:02 am
Russ Bengtson says:
No player in the NBA has done as much to damage the integrity of the game. Period. And Michael Vick has nothing to do with this.
Jul.23 at 10:02 am
Gerard Himself says:
Come on, he’s dealing the mob here. You can’t compare that with knuckleheads like Chris Anderson and the rest.
Jul.23 at 10:03 am
Gerard Himself says:
my former post was direct at whitehoteboy
Jul.23 at 10:03 am
Lang Whitaker says:
I wonder now if the NBA would still sponsor a showing of the finale of the Sopranos like they did after Game Two of the Finals.
Jul.23 at 10:03 am
Gerard Himself says:
and sorry for all the spelling errors. *breathes in, breathes out* I’m all relaxed again.
Jul.23 at 10:05 am
Adrian says:
You’ve never broken a law in your life Russ…?
Jul.23 at 10:08 am
Keith says:
What’s all the fuss about anyway? Everybody knows the Mafia is fictional. They’re like unicorns, griffins, Medusa, minoaturs….
Jul.23 at 10:09 am
Russ Bengtson says:
I’ve never gotten ORGANIZED CRIME involved with a professional sports league. Yes, I’ve broken laws, and I’ve been punished appropriately. But I don’t see how that’s relevant either. I’m sorry I’m not willing to forgive and forget in this instance—I just happen to love the NBA very much, and this is about the worst thing someone could do to the League. Forget it, I’m not talking about this anymore—I guess my opinion is wrong and he should be free to get a new identity and go start playing bingo and harassing neighbors in Dubuque. I’m totally disgusted by all of this. Bye.
Jul.23 at 10:12 am
Adrian says:
I’m not saying he shouldn’t be punished, I’m just implying, for starters, that we see the extent of his involvement before speculating on what punishment he deserves, and then that the punishment fit the crime.
Jul.23 at 10:13 am
Keith says:
Does anybody else picture Joe Pesci when the mafia is mentioned? It kinda makes the whole thing slightly more comical.
Jul.23 at 10:16 am
bootlace says:
Russ this is the best thing that could have happened to the league. Finally Stern will have to make changes, changes that many people have wanted for a very long time. Like Ive said (in my blog), this is like finding out your fiancee cheated on you - hurts at first, but at the end of the day it will make you stronger.
Jul.23 at 10:17 am
Keith says:
BETcats,
Rule 1 of discussions: never bring religion into them.
Rule 2 of discussions: Never mention that night you were really drunk at that party and took a girl back to your room only for her to have a d*ck.
Jul.23 at 10:20 am
Keith says:
The NBA is as real as wrestling. Maybe we should get Macho Man being the play by play announcer on TNT.
Jul.23 at 10:23 am
dj says:
seeing as my earlier post was so full of rage it got censored for colorful language, i’ll just leave with this quote: “Yes, they (he in this case) deserved to die and I hope they burn in hell!”
Jul.23 at 10:26 am
white hot eboy says:
Russ, I’m feeling you on the Monday morning anger. I don’t think any of us were saying what the dummy did was cool or funny. It is terrible for the game and all of us who love basketball feel the same. But being an NBA fan for 25 years+, I’m not naive enough to think that this is the first time this has happened in our favorite sport, just the first time one of these scumba*s got caught doing it. I can’t count the amount of times my friends, co-workers and others I knew or know currently would talk about a particular game and say “that sh*t was fixed or that ref game him that call”. Sh*t, that’s all I heard and still hear about the Heat’s championship last year.
Jul.23 at 10:30 am
white hot eboy says:
@ DJ, that rough.
@ Keith, Rule 2 should apply in EVERY situation, ever. Getting tortured, say nothing. Electrocution to the gonads, say nothing. NEVER speak those words.
Jul.23 at 10:31 am
H to the izzo says:
Donaghy needs to be punished severley for this,by both the NBA and the police.The Lig should set a precedent here.Its obvious he won’t be allowed back in the NBA again but they could possibly make him pay back his salary or something along those lines.The punishments handed put to refs should be much more severe than those handed out to players.Players can affect the image of the NBA but refs can affect that the credibility of the NBA and them you get into situations where the Lig is compared to wrestling and that should never happen.
Jul.23 at 10:48 am
KT says:
Stern needs to step down
Jul.23 at 10:50 am
Gerard Himself says:
Russ, I love the game as much as anyone, and again, he deserves to be punished. Maybe there’s some miscommunication here, but no one is disagreeing with you.
Jul.23 at 10:57 am
Cheryl says:
Is it time for instant replays in the last 2 minutes of games? Like they do in the NFL, give coaches the ability to challenge a call and lose a timeout if he loses the challenge. Makes sense to me. And it will only impact the ends of games, when the game is most vulnerable to “fixing”. -ASPOV
Jul.23 at 11:00 am
Steve O says:
The Donaghy scandal has to be the worst thing to ever happen to this league. Artest, Birdman etc are just black eyes, this was a throat slashing. Throwing or betting on games your involved in, in any sport, has always been treated that way. Think of the Black Sox of 1919, Shoeless Joe Jackson at that time was one of the greatest in the game and he was banned FOR LIFE. Pete Rose, the best hitter of all-time may never sniff the Hall of Fame. What Tim Donaghy did takes away the purity of the game. I completely underrstand what Russ was saying, I love this game as I am sure most of you do but if your saying this is like using drugs or throwing a punch, your wrong. The game will be tarnished by this for years to come, especially if others are named in this investigation. As I said before I hope this story begins and ends with Tim Donaghy or else I will lose my entire faith in this league.
Jul.23 at 11:07 am
Adrian says:
Cheryl, it might be something look at - they’ve brought it in in some form recently for a number of sports (rugby league, tennis) and it’s an ongoing discussion in football (soccer)…at least it’s worth looking into..
Jul.23 at 11:20 am
Steve O says:
Cheryl, I’m not sure if replay is a viable option for the NBA. I understand the reason for the suggestion (something needs to be done) but the NBA seems like the only league out of the 4 major US sports where replay wouldn’t work. Coaches and players almost always disagree with any call that goes against them. Now I know that some reactions aren’t always in vehement protest but still how many challenges can you give them? 2? 4? 10? It just seems like coaches would use them up and in a game with so many possesions how do you value one more than the other? In football drives can take up a whole quarter but in basketball you know almost every 1/2 minute the ball will change possesion. I like the idea of replay but I don’t see it being as effective in the NBA as in other sports.
Jul.23 at 11:29 am
H to the izzo says:
Introducing instant replays will ruin the flow of a game that can already be ruined by tactical fouling
Jul.23 at 11:31 am
ForzaMilan says:
He deserves punishment, not death. Basically, Russ Bengston just wished that Tim donaghy would die. He wished someone would kill him; he wants not justice, but punishment, and death. And Russ claims that his love for the game justifies his wishing death on Donaghy. Jesus.
Jul.23 at 11:32 am
ForzaMilan says:
Edit: first’punishment’ in preceding should be = ‘justice’.
Jul.23 at 11:33 am
H to the izzo says:
Since when were sarcasm and jokes banned from this site? ^^^
Jul.23 at 11:38 am
Steve O says:
Good call H. Recently there have been a ton of “are u serious??” questions. Too many to be exact.
Jul.23 at 11:38 am
BETCATS says:
since i camed
Jul.23 at 11:41 am
BETCATS says:
also is Eddie Rush invold? If so will he gain the new name Eddie Money Rush?
Jul.23 at 11:54 am
Slick Nick Da Ruler says:
Does anyone know if Shaq-Fu aided in the FBI investigation?
Jul.23 at 12:12 pm
Samuel L. Jackson says:
Yes he deserves to die and I hope he burns in hell!
Jul.23 at 12:16 pm
Drer says:
lol
Jul.23 at 12:17 pm
jr says:
his life is in danger sheed is coming for that a**!
Jul.23 at 1:10 pm
BETCATS says:
and yes i know those are 2 different movis, both BAD
Jul.23 at 1:11 pm
Samuel L. Jackson says:
I’m TIRED of these mother F’N mobsters in my mother F’N NBA!
Jul.23 at 1:14 pm
BETCATS says:
you didnt need to do that
Jul.23 at 1:15 pm
BETCATS says:
but then agian you could say that on 90% of my sh*t
Jul.23 at 1:25 pm
El Boydelz says:
This is WAY worse than Pete Rose Steve O. Pete (who I hate except for his terrific Wrestlemania appearances) recently admitted he betted on the Reds to win everyday. This in a backhanded way shows a rather dunder-headed “RAH RAH” attitude that is semi-admirable in some weird way. If you wanna use the way back machine(as per Shoeless Joe,) Kentucky basketball (point shaving 1951) seemed to make out alright. As far as the long term effects on the L, unless this guy fingers a bunch of other refs and players it’ll be old news in a year or less. Hardcore fans might joke that a ref “pulled a Donaghy” now and again though. If the guy does get bumped off maybe they’d make a movie about it. I got Steve Carrell as Donaghy and Jason Bateman as Lang (we’d dress him cool Lang all due respect.) Who’d play Russ Bengtson? Hot Rod Williams… Hot Rod Williams… Hot Rod Williams…
Jul.23 at 1:37 pm
shawn kemp jr. says:
Jim Jones playing Sam? Not now or ever
Jul.23 at 1:53 pm
Ryan Jones says:
Tim Donaghy was on the floor for Michael Jordan’s push-off on Bryon Russell in the ‘98 Finals. How has nobody noticed that?!
Jul.23 at 1:53 pm
Ryan Jones says:
Actually, I just made that up. Never mind.
Jul.23 at 2:00 pm
Cheez says:
He did actually ref the second bout between Ali and Liston though… even more amazing is he was just three years old at the time.
Jul.23 at 2:11 pm
Shawn Kemp Jr says:
i speak for everybody when i say 2 things 1. Tim Donaghy is pysico and will go to prison and get murdered on the toilet 2. Kicka Pop get off this website and go somewhere
Jul.23 at 2:21 pm
Greased Up Deaf Guy aka Clay Davis says:
the gambinos will merc you all
Jul.23 at 2:29 pm
popashot says:
kickapop… I didn’t know people as hardcore as yourself also typed things like “LMAO”… that’s gansta yo.
Jul.23 at 2:59 pm
RV says:
i’m sure fans would welcome the instant replay, if you apply it only to made calls then it wont mess up the flow of the game because play would be stopped already. Sure there a lot of plays that can be reviewed, but i’m sure coaches can figure out when to challenge and went to let it go, after this the last thing the NBA needs is for games next yr to be decided on a bad call, fans will immediately cry “fixed”, they need replay to calm fans down, give them something they can see with their own eyes so they know the correct call was made..
Jul.23 at 3:13 pm
Gerard Himself says:
KT: why should Stern step down?
Jul.23 at 3:47 pm
DDC says:
Damn, talk about getting to know your ref. This guy is a pr*ck to the max.
Jul.23 at 9:05 pm
AJ$ says:
If da mafia dont kill dat mo-fo i will
Jul.23 at 10:06 pm
galo says:
i don’t give a sh*t if he gets whacked or not. as an expectator of this whole circus, i’m with russ, i hope he does. it’ll give the story more flair and perhaps make some journalist’s career. what’s so bad about it?
-
now, what i REALLY want to know is: who fixed the Draft?
Jul.24 at 6:06 am
Slobodan Chutzpah says:
What I find weird is that no one seems to be even entertaining the idea that Donaghy is not the only crooked ref in the L. I for one happen to think there are some refs with beads of cold sweat running down their foreheads right now…
Jul.24 at 8:15 am
Ryan Jones says:
I think we’ve entertained it, Slobo. I mean, I gave played some music for it and told it some jokes, but it really didn’t seem to appreciate my efforts. So I stopped.
Jul.24 at 6:45 pm
anonymous says:
I saw that Video, on Donaghy but i’d also like to say Thank You Bruce Bowen,kneeing nash, kicking nash, just like he does every night, dirtiest player of all time, the league should kick him out like he kicks players….wally szczerbiak…..wally szczerbiak…..wally szczerbiak…..wally szczerbiak………
Jul.24 at 11:47 pm
1hush D says:
Wow, I had to wake up from my summer hiatus to provide a clarification on the footnote found on the San Antonio Sours 2007 title, you know, the Ring Taint. *It may be the case that Groin poundin, achilles groundin, Bruce Bowen and Cheap Shot Bob got a critical assist from Dum Dum Douchebag the referee. The Sternbot has not been absolved from any wrongdoing in the case.
Jul.25 at 3:59 am
Jukai says:
At first I read what Russ said, and said to myself “well, as bad of a person that Mr. Donaghy is, no one deserves to die” Then I watched that youtube video, and I remember the pain I felt when I watched game three of the Suns vs the Spurs. A little of me died that day. I’m sort of rooting that a little more of Donaghy dies in the days to come.
Jul.27 at 2:22 pm
CarlitoSesca says:
Stop getting on Russ’ case. This Tim Donaghy individual, aside from having major character issues which everyone he’s every interacted with can attest to, is a stone-coward who didn’t have the self-control to not gamble, compounded his gambling situation by going to organized crime figures and now is going to turn goverment witness to avoid going to jail.
He should get what he deserves, either jail or a more permanent remedy to his type of scum. I don’t care if the man has a family, a coward hiding behind his family is the worst type of coward. He needs to eat his medicine, whether it’s jail or the afterlife. Save your sympathy for soldiers in Iraq, homeless people on the street, disable people and people who have difficult lives through no fault of their own. This guy made his bed, family or not, and has to pay for it one way or the other. You crybabies make me sick, this scumbag made 260,000K+. Enough said.