Did Donaghys gambling and his work for Battista affect the outcomes of NBA games?
Yes. Maybe not always by determining the winner and the loser, but the FBI agents who investigated Donaghy concluded that Donaghy “compromised [his] objectivity as a referee because of [his] personal financial interest in the outcome of NBA games.” The actual effect may have been a change only in the point spread, but Donaghy easily could have gone far enough to turn a winner into a loser, or vice versa. As the investigation continues, we will know more about his calls and their effects on specific games. What information did Donaghy provide to earn his $5,000 per game? Court papers indicate that Donaghy told Battista the identities of the refs assigned to a game, described injuries, and analyzed “interactions between players” and “other personnel.” The identity of the officiating crew is supposed to be kept secret until game time. But Donaghy, like all 60 NBA referees, knew the schedule and used it in his scheme. Injury information, especially at the last minute in games Donaghy offic
