Ex-NBA referee Tim Donaghy will never be NBA referee Tim Donaghy again. This is because he manipulated league outcomes in his role in a large gambling scheme. Such a man — who also once punched fellow former referee Joey Crawford right in the mug — is not to be trusted.
What he has recently suggested, though, is that the NBA is also not worthy of your faith. In a recent interview with Sports Illustrated, Donaghy said he believes that Draymond Green’s Game 5 suspension in the NBA Finals was forged in order to prolong the series, which has been a ratings bonanza.
“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,” Donaghy said. “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.”
There is at least a modicum of sense to Donaghy’s assertion. Green, by many views, could have been suspended any number of times over the past few weeks, but the league pulled the trigger at the moment that it might make their season last a little longer. And maybe it takes a fibber to spot a fibber.
Still, though: This dude’s a self-serving liar, and him speaking out on pretty much any topic is not a thing to be taken too seriously.
(Via Sports Illustrated)
