Referee Gambling Scandal Lingers as Donaghy Sentenced

Pedowitz said he still had many interviews to conduct, and wanted to speak to everyone connected with the government investigation.

Tim Donaghy is going away, and NBA Commissioner David Stern wishes the rest of his league's gambling scandal would do the same.  Donaghy was sentenced to only 15 months in jail, as the presiding judge gave great credence to the pleas of the disgraced referee's lawyer, who pushed a defense that Donaghy was a problem gambler in the grip of compulsion.

Despite evidence that Donaghy was more likely a scoundrel looking for a quick buck than a man trapped by an addiction, the official got off lighter than his co-conspirators. His cooperation with the federal investigation was also noted.

Meanwhile, the internal investigation conducted for the NBA by former federal prosecutor Lawrence Pedowitz has yet to yield a report, at least for public eyes. Stern had promised that the findings would be released once the Donaghy legal situation was resolved.

Of course, Stern also promised that Donaghy was a rogue, a "lone gunman"; and then records of a multitude of calls to another official, immediately before games and either directly preceding or following calls to Donaghy's gambling associates, were disclosed.

Donaghy himself also mentioned the existence of "company men" among the refs, who knew which way the league preferred certain big games to go, and insured the desired results.

Pedowitz said he still had many interviews to conduct, and wanted to speak to everyone connected with the government investigation, as well as be sure that probe was complete, before issuing a report, hopefully before the start of the season in October.

Stern asserted that the part of Pedowitz's investigation concerning the officials was complete, and that allegations concerning other referees had been declared baseless. While the public waits to hear this from an impartial source, Stern must surely hope the whole story withers and disappears.