10 QUESTIONS FOR TIM DONAGHY

Ken Hoffman catches up with a disgraced NBA referee ahead of his new biopic

Ken Hoffman catches up with a disgraced NBA referee ahead of his new biopic
Photo by Roland Martinez/Getty Images

For two years during his career as an NBA referee, Tim Donaghy did more than send players to the free throw line and "T up" abrasive coaches. He and two cohorts cashed millions with Donaghy making questionable calls and betting on games that he was officiating.

On November 1, Donaghy's story comes to the big screen in Inside Game – The True Story of the NBA Betting Scandal starring Eric Mabius as Tim Donaghy, and Scott Wolf and Will Sasso as Donaghy's childhood buddies and co-conspirators Tommy Martino and James "Baba" Battista.

Donaghy refereed 772 regular season and 20 playoff games between 1994 and 2007. During his last two years as an NBA ref, he used inside information he gained from relationships with other referees, coaches, players, and front office personnel to gain an illegal betting edge.

Eventually the FBI wised up to his scheme during a separate investigation. Donaghy was sentenced to 15 months in prison. He was released after 11 months, only to return behind bars to complete his sentence for violating terms of his release.

In 2009, Donaghy wrote a memoir, Blowing the Whistle: The Culture of Fraud in the NBA, later retitled Personal Foul: A First Person Account of the Scandal that Rocked the NBA. The movie Inside Game is not based on Donaghy's book, however, and he had no input in the film's production. He is helping to promote the film, and that's how I got him on the phone last week.

CultureMap: How come you weren’t involved in this movie?

Tim Donaghy: I was hoping for a little control over the script, and that was something they wouldn't do. We couldn't come to an agreement, so I passed on getting involved as a consultant. I thought that I had done enough wrong in my life that they didn't need me to add anything. Every time I hope the story goes away something pops up.

CM: Have you seen the movie, and what did you think of it?

TD: I have seen the film. I like it. I think there's a great message in the film about how important choices are, and how the choices you make affect other people. They did a good job of getting the story correct.

CM: If gamblers wanted to fix a game, would they be better of bribing a referee or a player?

TD: I think you're going to have a situation on the college level where they go to one of these players who isn't going to make it on the next level and offer him a large sum of money. Let's say his team is favored by a large number, maybe 15 points. You tell the player, you can still win the game, just don't win the game by more than 10 or 11 or 12 points. I think that's where you're going to see the next scandal. Some of these college kids don't have much money and they need money for their families.

Continue on CultureMap to read the rest of this fascinating interview.

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The Astros beat the Angels, 14-3. Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images.

Yainer Díaz hit his first career grand slam in a six-run fifth inning and the Houston Astros had a season-high scoring total in a 14-3 rout of the Los Angeles Angels on Friday night.

Díaz, who entered the game with just one RBI this year, had three hits and drove in a career-high five runs in the victory.

The Astros trailed by 1 with two outs and two on in the fifth when they tied it on an RBI single by Yordan Alvarez that rolled just out of reach of a diving Tim Anderson.

Christian Walker followed with an RBI single to put the Astros up 3-2. Jack Kochanowicz (1-1) walked Jeremy Peña to load the bases and was lifted for Garrett McDaniels.

Díaz sent his third pitch into the concourse in left center field for his first homer this season to make it 7-2. It was Houston’s first grand slam since Jose Abreu’s in a 12-3 win over Texas on Sept. 6, 2023.

Díaz added an RBI double as the Astros tacked on four more runs in the sixth inning.

Rookie Cam Smith doubled in the sixth and his first career home run made it 13-3 in the eighth.

Mike Trout hit a solo homer in the fourth inning for the Angels to give him six this year which is tied with last season for his most home runs through the first 13 games. It was the team’s 19th home run combined in the last six games, which is a franchise record for a six-game span — topping the 18 they hit in six games in the 2003 season

The Astros took a 1-0 lead in the second when Peña scored on a sacrifice fly by Jake Meyers.

Los Angeles tied it on Trout’s home run off the wall above the seats in left field to open the fourth inning.

Kyren Paris opened the fifth with a double and scored on a single by Jo Adell to put the Angels up 2-1 before Houston took the lead with its outburst in the bottom of the inning.

Houston starter Ronel Blanco (1-1) allowed four hits and two runs in five innings for the win.

Key moment

The grand slam by Díaz that broke the game open.

Key stat

Nine of Houston’s runs came with two outs.

Up next

Houston RHP Ryan Gusto (1-0, 1.13 ERA) opposes LHP Tyler Anderson (0-0, 4.50) when the series continues Saturday night.

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