Almost a decade ago, former NBA referee Tim Donaghy was banned from basketball for life for his role in manipulating the outcome of games. His officiating of games was tied to a much larger gambling scheme that he financially benefitted from. This of course made him one of the most hated people both inside and outside of the league. Donaghy followed that up by making accusations against the league, saying that other referees were involved in the fiasco.
Today, Donaghy is back at it again. This time giving his two cents on the game 5 suspension of Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green. According to him, it is very suspicious that the league would suspend Green now when he could of have been suspended for other acts and was not throughout the playoffs.
“I think when you look at the overt acts that Green has committed before, they were definitely more severe than this act, and yet he’s going to end up with a flagrant foul and suspension because of it. In the past, I believe it was disregarded because [the Warriors] were down in the series. Here, they’re up in the series, so I think it’s a situation where, with that, it gives Cleveland a better chance of prolonging the series.”
Though Tim Donaghy has very checkered past and has been labeled a liar by everyone in NBA circles, especially former commissioner David Stern, his statements will surely cause a firestorm.
Respect: Sports Illustrated