NEW YORK — Disgraced former NBA referee Tim Donaghy said he refused to make calls to affect games even if it meant he lost money and it angered the mob.
In one game in which he bet on San Antonio, he ejected coach Gregg Popovich in the first quarter, and the Spurs eventually lost the game. That drew the ire of the mob, which reportedly lost money using his tip.
“I just told them that I wasn’t making calls in games to influence the outcome,” Donaghy said in an interview on “60 Minutes” on Sunday night. “And I’m not going to be able to obviously predict the winner every night, and they have to accept that’s what’s going to happen.”
Donaghy insisted he wagered on games based on his knowledge of other officials’ biases for and against certain players and teams, and that his officiating was not compromised — a claim that was backed up by the FBI.
Oden’s season is over
PORTLAND, Ore. — Trail Blazers center Greg Oden underwent surgery on his left patella, and the team confirmed what it feared — that Oden was done for the season.
Yi still out
NEW YORK — Injured Nets forward Yi Jianlian is expected to miss at least another week after needing 50 stitches to close a cut lip he suffered in practice.
