I’m not a basketball fan, so I don’t really care about the current scandal involving referee Tim Donaghy. In case you haven’t heard, Donaghy is being investigated by the FBI on allegations that he bet on NBA games over the last two seasons, including those in which he officiated. I’m don’t know the details of that case, but I can’t believe the guy actually thought he’d be able to get away with something like that.
At any rate, I read a very interesting article on ESPN that’s related to the Donaghy scandal. It basically outlines the rules that each major pro sports league has in place to prohibit gambling by officials.
Check out those rules for NFL refs… that’s some pretty hardcore stuff! Those guys aren’t even allowed to go to Vegas or Atlantic City at any time during the calendar year. Plus, during the NFL season they’re not allowed to go into a gambling casino, horse racing track, or dog track. And, every official is graded on every single play of every game. Wow!! I guess they really want to make sure that the games are legit, huh?