Welcome to the world of Tim Donaghy, a former NBA referee whose name became synonymous with controversy and scandal. Tim Donaghy’s career took a dramatic turn when he was accused of betting on games that he officiated, sending shockwaves through the sports world. His case shed light on the potential vulnerabilities within professional sports officiating and raised questions about the integrity of the game. Despite the scandal tarnishing his reputation, Donaghy remains a notable figure in the annals of sports history, his story serving as a cautionary tale about the consequences of ethical lapses and the pressures faced by those involved in professional sports.
Throughout his tumultuous journey, Tim Donaghy has offered insights and reflections on his experiences, providing a unique perspective on the inner workings of professional sports and the challenges faced by referees and officials. His quotes offer a glimpse into the mindset of someone who found themselves at the center of one of the biggest controversies in sports history. Below, you’ll find a collection of Tim Donaghy’s most memorable and thought-provoking quotes, ripe for contemplation, reflection, and perhaps even inspiration. Whether you’re a sports enthusiast, a casual observer, or simply curious about the human side of scandal, these quotes are sure to intrigue and engage.
Absolutely, when you talk about the embarrassment that I caused in 2007 for myself, my family, the NBA, it was embarrassing then, and it’s as embarrassing now seeing it play out in a movie 10 years later. It’s tough to watch it. Every time I watch it, I cringe through the whole thing. Tim Donaghy
When you talk about gambling and the euphoria that comes with it, making winning picks is what excites you. Tim Donaghy
I had the opportunity to run up and down the court with the greatest athletes in the world. Tim Donaghy
I was a target. There was a guy who took a paint roller extension pole and blasted me in the knee a few times. I had to have surgery to relieve the pain when I got out of prison. Tim Donaghy
I wanted to be a part of the NBA because I enjoyed the Sixers games when I was young. Tim Donaghy
A Brooklyn-Miami matchup would bring great ratings and that’s what this is all about for the NBA and the league offices – bringing in as many dollars as they can. Tim Donaghy
If you’re fixing a game, you’re making calls up against star players to get that star player to the bench so that team is at a major disadvantage. Tim Donaghy
In the future you’re going to be able to go into a 7-Eleven and buy a ticket on a game, and people who don’t use gambling as often as others do, like the people who go and buy lottery tickets, there’s going to be more opportunity for people to do it. And with people casually gambling throughout the country, it’s going to generate a lot of money. Tim Donaghy
Some officials are afraid to blow the whistle with 20,000 people screaming and yelling at them. Some officials love to have the crowd go against them. Tim Donaghy
I don’t really need to bury the NBA. I just want the truth to be known about what I did and how I did it. Tim Donaghy
The big question on everyone’s mind is, ‘Did Tim Donaghy fix games?’ The answer is no. I didn’t need to fix them. I usually knew which team was going to win based on which referees had been assigned to the game, their personalities, and the relationships they had with the players and coaches of the teams involved. Tim Donaghy
Not only did I not like officiating his games, I was afraid at times he was going to knock my block off… there was nothing you could do to get the guy on your side… with saying that, I’ve talked to Rasheed Wallace in the last couple of years and he’s nothing but a complete gentleman off the floor. Tim Donaghy
I wish I could turn back time. Unfortunately, I can’t. Tim Donaghy
I lived with my parents until I was 27. Tim Donaghy
Any time that you have a sporting event with a Vegas line to it, there’s always going to be somebody involved in organized crime trying to make a dollar off of it. Tim Donaghy
When you see an article it always has ‘disgraced NBA referee.’ It’s embarrassing and it’s never going to be okay. Unfortunately, I have to move forward and just make things different moving forward. Tim Donaghy
I got caught up with gambling at the golf course, the backroom card games at the casinos with buddies there, and eventually betting on sporting events. I think it became a situation where I got consumed by it and loved every minute of it. Tim Donaghy
On the golf course, playing cards, running to the casinos, betting on college and pro football, it keeps spilling over to the next step, the next step, the next step. I basically started giving people information that I was receiving in the locker room, injury reports. Tim Donaghy
I’m not saying the games are fixed, because they are not. But they definitely program and train these referees to go out on the floor, and look for certain things, to put teams at advantages or disadvantages, based on who’s up or down in the series. Tim Donaghy
We all have choices to make in life. And when we decide to go down that wrong road we’d be better off backing up and realizing that not only do you affect your life with some terrible choices, but the lives of people you love the most, and that’s your family. Tim Donaghy
The bottom line is the NBA is going to do whatever they can do to create more revenue. Tim Donaghy
I’m Catholic, I’m conditioned to confess. Tim Donaghy
I just loved the game of basketball growing up and my goal was to somehow be a part of it. Tim Donaghy
I truly believe that at some point they’re going to have kiosks in every NBA arena, like they do at the airport when you get your boarding pass, so you can bet on the games. Tim Donaghy
I do believe Allen Iverson knew this, and I believe all the players know this: that certain referees treat them much better than others. Tim Donaghy
I had a great job, living a great lifestyle… and just started doing the wrong things, getting a little bit cocky. Tim Donaghy
There’s no doubt that there is star treatment. It’s discussed in the meetings. Obviously, people don’t pay an enormous amount of money to sit in those courtside seats to see players like Kobe, LeBron, Shaq – all the greats – sit on the bench and be in foul trouble. Tim Donaghy
I knew there were certain relationships that existed between referees and players, referees and coaches and referees and owners that influence the point spreads in games. Tim Donaghy
I knew it was wrong, but I thought gambling was a venial sin. That’s why I didn’t confess it to a priest until after I was caught. Tim Donaghy
I started stuffing wads of cash into my socks and underwear and quietly passed by the T.S.A. agents with a grin on my face and a sigh of relief. Tim Donaghy
It’s mostly the coaches the refs don’t like. Like Phil Jackson and Gregg Popovich. Jackson is a master at setting up refs, always telling them they’re against his team, playing mind games. Tim Donaghy
At some point, you’re going to see the ability for a fan sitting in a seat to bet, swiping his credit card, whether James Harden is going to score ten 3-pointers or not that night. Tim Donaghy
I think there’s a lot of successful referees to come out of the Philadelphia area because the basketball is so good. Tim Donaghy
I feel like we all make mistakes in life. Maybe mine was a little more public than others. Tim Donaghy
Did I go out and make calls in those games that the NBA wanted me and the crew to call? Absolutely. Did it put a team at an advantage and a disadvantage? Absolutely and that’s how I was able to win the bets so easily. Tim Donaghy
The FBI and the NBA did a thorough investigation, and they both concluded that I did not fix games in the NBA. Tim Donaghy
I still see referees officiating based on names on the front and back of jerseys and not based on how the rules are written in the rule book. Tim Donaghy
The craft of officiating is taught that people come and pay top dollar to see people like Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, all the stars, and you have to make sure when you blow the whistle against those individuals that it’s a foul that you basically can’t let go. Tim Donaghy
Obviously I bet on games I officiated. I passed on information based on the meetings that the referees were having, and based on what the league office wanted us to call in playoff games. With that being said, I was able to win at a high percentage when we were betting on NBA games. Tim Donaghy
I was in a unique position to predict the outcome of NBA games. Some of my picks included games I had been assigned to referee. Tim Donaghy
I had a great job and I lost it, but I’m doing great now, I have a great family, my daughters all live with me. Did I have a setback? Absolutely, but I don’t look at it like a ruined my life. Tim Donaghy
If you’re going to advance as a referee and make that $75,000 to $100,000 a year in the playoffs, you’re going to give the league what they want. Because they are grading you. Tim Donaghy
