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Report: Donaghy's release Wednesday
ESPN.com news services

Former NBA referee Tim Donaghy is expected to be released from federal prison in Florida on Wednesday, according to a report in the Philadelphia Inquirer.

A New York judge sentenced Donaghy last year after the disgraced referee said he accepted thousands of dollars from a professional gambler in exchange for inside tips on NBA games -- including games he worked.

Last week Donaghy's tell-all book, "Blowing the Whistle: The Culture of Fraud in the NBA," was canceled by Triumph Books and parent company Random House, the publisher said.

The book, slated for publication later this month, was to have covered Donaghy's experience as an NBA referee and the events leading up to his conviction.

So the gambling ref is getting out of jail eh? Good for him. I was also happy to see some excerpts of his book were printed in Deadspin. Among his many claims were that the Game 6 Lakers/Kings seven-game series (I believe in 2001) was rigged so that there would be a Game 7. I figured I should address it since you Lakers haters are bound to give me shit about it.

For one, I've never once harbored the impression that refs don't cater to big name players and big name teams. I'm also sure the NBA likes a series going to seven games. It's all about the dollar dollar bill yall. The NBA refs are trying to give people what they want by letting by star players score and letting big time teams get to the finish line. The TV ratings prove it. But the refs must not be fixing too many games or the Spurs wouldn't have four titles. Between the terrible TV ratings for the Spurs' Finals wins and Tim Duncan's shaky relationship with Joey Crawford the Spurs would never win a game if it was all fixed.


Donaghy also praised the Human Clothesline, Raja Bell for his defense on Kobe. But right now the Lakers are the defending champs and Donaghy is bookless and living in a halfway house. So he can eat me.

If you'd like to ready any of Donaghy's other freaky tales such as Dick Bavetta's obsession with himself (Donaghy says Bavetta Tivo'd games to count the number of times they said his name), click here.

P.S. - Here's Dick Bavetta kissing my boy.