Sports betting information site pregame.com posted an article that seeks to contradict the report issued by the NBA this week. After more than a year of investigation surrounding the conduct of NBA refs, the league's inquiry named no culprits other than the disgraced and now jailed Tim Donaghy. But more importantly in the opinion of R J Bell, president of pregame.com, the report clears Donaghy of having affected the outcome of NBA games.
With former federal prosecutor Lawrence Pedowitz guiding the direction and the scope of the investigation, the report clears the refs of engaging in activity that would have led to bookies and gamblers receiving information that might enhance their chances of winning their bets placed on NBA games. That includes Scott Foster, the referee investigators found had conferred with Donaghy by phone more than 130 times during the 2006-2007 season.
Bell writes that the conclusion of the NBA probe seems odd because while those conversations were taking place:
"...ten games refereed by Scott Foster had lopsided enough betting on one team to move the point spread by at least 2 points; those ten teams were undeated against Vegas."
According to Bell, the odds of that happening naturally are more than 1,000 to 1. That is called circumstantial evidence, but nonetheless any appearance that facts were swept under the rug will not reflect well on the NBA or David Stern. His mission is to give the public comfort that the league isn't rigged and hasn't employed officials that can assist in that endeavor.
Comments
The NBA would never ruin its product just for justice. Maybe for money, but not out of fairness. The biggest problem with professional basketball is that the refs have too much control.
Jacob: The recommendations for changes that came out of the report include some related to making officials speak with media and demystify the process. We'll see if Czar Stern allows it.
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