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Disgraced ex-NBA referee-turned-author Tim Donaghy AP (File)
Random House pulled the plug on a memoir by disgraced former NBA referee Tim Donaghy this past week. ESPN states that concerns over possible liability derailed the book. Random House spokesman Stuart Applebaum put it this way:
After a close legal review of the final manuscript of Blowing the Whistle by Tim Donaghy, and our independent evaluation of some of the author's sources and statements, Triumph Books and Random House have decided not to go forward with the book's publication. Our decision is wholly our own and was made without consultation with any outside parties or individuals."
The last sentence of the statement seems intended to derail the notion that the NBA had threatened litigation if the book was published, something that the NBA has unequivocally denied.
Memoirs have tended to cause controversy when their veracity is called into question. The recent scandal involving James Frey’s partially confabulated memoir A Million Little Pieces still resonates. Margaret B. Jones’ completely fabricated memoir Love and Consequences did not cause as much of a ripple but was no less egregious.
Beyond the predictable grumblings however, no one, has called Donaghy’s individual claims outright lies. If the assertions made in excerpts of Blowing the Whistle are true, they certainly speak to what Donaghy calls “a culture of fraud in the NBA.” The NBA promises to investigate the allegations made in the book.
Donaghy, in prison for a probation violation, is looking for another publisher for Blowing the Whistle. Absent any taker, he may self-publish the book.
Comments
Isn't this so sad! I love memoirs and think they are a powerful and fascinating genre. Alas, if they are only written for profit or "fame", it can make the author write things that will enhance sales, for the sake of accuracy, truth, and authenticity. Good article on an important subject.
Hey, fellow Examiner! It's true that the amount of confabulation has long been an issue concerning memoirs. Donaghy, though, is asserting that his claims are true; others are saying that the NBA helped to tank the book in order to silence him.
It reminds me of the the false holocaust story of the apple and the young girl. Memoirs are tricky to publish since people remember things differently. Thanks for highlighting this.
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