Who referees the referees? With the advent of daily fantasy sports, and the recent Supreme Court ruling that cleared the way for states to legalize gambling, betting on professional sports is more prevalent than ever. Now that the NHL is already in Las Vegas, and the NFL is set to arrive in 2020, it’s time to ask: are the major leagues equipped to fight the corrupting influence of sports betting?
Ten years ago, NBA fans learned that one of the leagues top referees, Tim Donaghy, was caught by the FBI betting on games—including ones he officiated. Donaghy was called a bad apple, a cancer to be excised from an otherwise healthy league. But is there more to the story? We clear up a case that was never fully covered by examining the conflicting narratives from Donaghy, the NBA, and the FBI.
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RED CARDS, presented by Ryot, is a six-part series exploring some of the most notorious true crime stories in sports. New episodes available each Tuesday.
