Ref Betting Scandal Rattles NBA

Ref Betting Scandal Rattles NBA

A Law Blog reader emailed us this morning expressing surprise that we hadn’t yet weighed in on the NBA referee betting investigation. “This is a catastrophe in the making,” he wrote. “How many millions do Nike, Reebok, UnderArmour, etc., spend to market in the NBA? What are the league’s TV revenues and when is the renegotiation of the contract? When are we going to get the first civil suit filed by a Suns fan?”

All good questions, beloved Law Blog reader. As the rest of you have surely heard by now, the U.S. Attorney’s office in Brooklyn is investigating allegations that veteran NBA referee Tim Donaghy (not a lawyer) influenced the outcome of basketall games on which he or associates of his had wagered. A law enforcement official told the Times that Donaghy was expected to surrender to the FBI this week. He’s being represented by John Lauro, a Tampa, Fla., white-collar lawyer who was a federal prosecutor in Brooklyn in the 1980s.

The news has rattled the NBA’s front office, which could hold a press conference on the matter as soon as today. Wrote a NYT columnist: “At a time of plummeting television ratings, the NBA can ill afford a scandal that violates the essence of what the public loves about games: honest and fair competition.”