Former NBA referee Tim Donaghy was busted in 2007 for betting on games he reffed and he ended up in prison. Since getting out, he’s written a book and he’s analyzed the refereeing in the playoffs. During the Eastern Conference Finals, Donaghy pointed out that the refs missed a blatant travel by LeBron James against the Bulls. It was something I pointed out on twitter, so I was glad someone else of prominence raised the same point. But then you see his next video, and you realize the guy is only doing infomercials for a betting site.
Before he points out preferential treatment he says LeBron received in Game 1, he makes sure to tell viewers to visit a gambling site. Then, the entire time the video plays, there’s a small text ad at the bottom reminding viewers to hit up the same site. Towards the end of the video, suggests analyst Jeff Van Gundy isn’t critical of LeBron’s non-calls because Van Gundy has money on the games.
Donaghy may have called out some of the unethical refereeing practices going on in the NBA, but there’s little doubt he’s taken things too far. He lacks integrity and honesty, and things he says should be taken with little credibility. Hopefully now that you know he’s only plugging a gambling site, you’ll ignore everything he has to say. He really isn’t worth your attention.
