Personal Foul: A First-Person Account of the Scandal That Rocked the NBA [Paperback]

Tim Donaghy (Author, Primary Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 3, 2009

The media has speculated and sports fans have debated, but until now no one has known the real story. Personal Foul takes an in-depth look at former NBA referee Tim Donaghy and the betting scandal that rocked professional basketball. Containing never-before-seen documentation and correspondence between the league office, referees, coaches, players and owners, this is the decisive book that reveals exactly what was done and how it all happened. Which games were affected and how? Is it true that referees targeted particular players? Just how much did the NBA know and when? How did the mafia get involved? Personal Foul answers all of these questions and more. Thrilling and poignant, Personal Foul takes the reader on the journey of one man wrestling his own demons and shines a light on a culture of gambling and "directive" officiating in the NBA that promises to change the way sports fans view the game forever.

Editorial Reviews

Book Description

The media has speculated and sports fans have debated, but until now no one has known the real story. Personal Foul takes an in-depth look at former NBA referee Tim Donaghy and the betting scandal that rocked professional basketball. Containing never-before-seen documentation and correspondence between the league office, referees, coaches, players and owners, this is the decisive book that reveals exactly what was done and how it all happened. Which games were affected and how? Is it true that referees targeted particular players? Just how much did the NBA know and when? How did the mafia get involved? Personal Foul answers all of these questions and more. Thrilling and poignant, Personal Foul takes the reader on the journey of one man wrestling his own demons and shines a light on a culture of gambling and "directive" officiating in the NBA that promises to change the way sports fans view the game forever.

About the Author

Born in Havertown Pennsylvania, Tim Donaghy loved the game of basketball ever since he could remember. He received his love for the game from his father Gerry Donaghy, who had officiated at high school and collegiate level games for over thirty years. Since he lived so close to Philadelphia, he naturally became a 76ers fan. Some of his favorite players were Doug Collins and Mike Dunleavy. Donaghy attended Cardinal O'Hara High School in Springfield, Pennsylvania where he played competitively during his four years spent there. Following high school, Donaghy graduated from Villanova University with a liberal arts degree in 1989. Although Donaghy had a degree after his graduation, he became unsatisfied with the direction in which his career was headed. One night while sitting at the kitchen table with his parents, his mother suggested that he look into a career in the NBA. It was all the motivation that he needed, and began to pursue his new found dream job. Later as Tim Donaghy perfected his skills as a referee through training camps, he was noticed by the NBA supervisor of officials Darell Garretson. This eventually led to Tim Donaghys start in the CBA, the NBAs official minor league. He officiated for three years in the CBA. Before his fourth year Donaghy was called to officiate in the NBA. From 1994 to 2007 Tim Donaghy worked for the NBA, officiating in 772 regular-season games and 20 playoff games. Donaghy was a participant in the NBA's Read to Achieve program, for which he participated in an event at the Universal Charter school during the 2002 NBA Finals. His uniform number was 21 --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 268 pages
• Publisher: VTi-Group, Incorporated (December 3, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0615306039
• ISBN-13: 978-0615306032
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (42 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #311,145 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #27 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Basketball > Professional

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars RICK "SHAQ" GOLDSTEIN SAYS: "HE MAY HAVE FOULED OUT AS A REFEREE... BUT HE SCORES AS A WRITER!", December 17, 2009

By 

Rick Shaq Goldstein "*SHAQ*" (Danville, Ca, USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

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This review is from: Personal Foul: A First-Person Account of the Scandal That Rocked the NBA (Paperback)

This is the memoir of disgraced former NBA referee Tim Donaghy. As most basketball fans know Donaghy pleaded guilty in federal court in 2008 to conspiracy to engage in wire fraud and transmitting wagering information through interstate commerce. Donaghy delivers to the reader a no-holds-barred indoctrination of how a boy who not only grew up loving sports and dreaming of playing or refereeing in the NBA one day... but also looked up to his Father whose life as a high school and college referee was the embodiment of integrity. When Tim fulfills his childhood dream of becoming an NBA referee... he exalts in the fame and fortune that this position provides. He gets to rub shoulders with the likes of Jack Nicholson... Spike Lee... and countless other celebrities... in addition to having superstars like Michael Jordan, Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant... et al... currying to win favor from him... whether real or imagined... or what lies in between. In a painful self-evaluation the author paints a self-portrait of a man who literally became a degenerate gambling addict. In addition to contacts with childhood friends who became involved in organized crime and started "working" Donaghy for predictions of who would win specific NBA games... Donaghy slowly but inexorably... couldn't live without gambling. "MAKING 35 TO 40 BETS PER WEEK ON FOOTBALL, BASEBALL, BASKETBALL, AND HOCKEY, WE CONTINUED TO GAMBLE ON GOLF AT THE COUNTRY CLUB, CARDS IN THE BACK PARLOR, AND BLACKJACK IN THE CASINOS." Despite being a husband and Father of four young daughters... he lied to his wife and went to Atlantic City for binges at the casinos while telling his wife he was elsewhere.

But what was at the absolute despicable core of his illegal and immoral activity... was the inside information... that he was privy to as an NBA referee. And as a referee... the sanctity of the entire game... and league... rose and fell... at the hands of the referees. According to Tim... he never fixed a game... but he would call his associates... and at times... merely minutes before the game... to report unknown injuries... or team fatigue... to his organized crime cronies. In the author's defense... he does not for a minute deny his unsavory deeds... and his shame for the disgrace that he rained down on his entire family... from his Father... to his wife... to his kids... is palpable. But his admission of how easy it is to predict winners (he was right almost SEVENTY-PER-CENT of the time) based on numerous criteria... of which the most powerful tool he used in his betting "advice" was which referees were assigned to which games. And from here is where his proclamations draw the most attack by NBA commissioner David Stern and associates. Tim painstakingly describes over and over... which ref's had grudges against which players (such as Allen Iverson)... which ref's had grudges against which coaches... (and sometimes even owners)... which ref's had friendships with which coaches. Donaghy names names and gives example after example.

I played basketball at multiple levels in my life... and I am a basketball fanatic. I have been a season ticket holder and I read book after book on basketball... and watch it on cable and still attend games... so when I discuss the next portion of Donaghy's mea-culpa-combined-with-NBA- allegations... I'm not saying all of them are true... but his claims make sense... and I would say every allegation he makes... I have heard fans (including me) say AT LEAST ONE-HUNDRED-THOUSAND-TIMES!" He says there are two sets of rules. One for star players and one for non-stars... unless the ref of that game has a grudge against that star... and believe me he will make that star suffer on a particular night. The NBA *DOES* care about who is in the playoffs... and how many games a series goes. Ref's can easily effect the outcome of a game in so many ways... such as when "SHAQ" asked a ref before the game to let some air out of the game ball so he would get a softer roll on his brick-like free throws.

What pleasantly surprised me about this book... was that... despite the fact that I knew the ending... I found myself anxiously reading to the next chapter to learn the detailed steps of the author's journey to embarrassing ruin... which of course was federal prison.

Despite the fact that you will have a distaste for Donaghy because of his misuse of trust and responsibility... he openly admits his guilt and disgust with what he himself did to his life. When he has to call his beloved venerable Father to tell him of the crimes he's committed... you have to feel for him when he says:

"DAD, I'M IN SOME TROUBLE, A LOT OF TROUBLE."

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pro Basketball is just like Pro Wrestling - FIXED! Read the book., February 6, 2010

By 

Kirk M. Ludi (Las Vegas, NM United States) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Personal Foul: A First-Person Account of the Scandal That Rocked the NBA (Paperback)

I always suspected that professional basketball was a little fixed. I'd watch basketball games and wonder why the stars got away with mauling another ballplayer but didn't get called on it. So I stopped watching NBA games because I figured it was fixed through the league office. This book just confirms my suspicions. Star players are given the benefit of the doubt on calls from referees.

A fan doesn't go to see Jordan, Kobe, or LeBron sit on the bench, the NBA and its army of referees assures the fan of this charade. Defensive specialists are sure to sit the bench with fouls because the league demands that the offensive stars are center stage."Star Stoppers" like Raja Bell would shut down players like Kobe Bryant, or at least slow them down and get him out of his game and interrupt his rhythm. If the likes of Raja Bell and Kobe collide, the foul certainly goes against Raja. Fans don't pay high prices to see Raja Bell, they go to see Kobe score 40 points. The league office sends out its message to let Kobe score 40 points. (page 64)

"Jordan Rules" refer to the treatment Michael Jordan got when he was playing. The league office tells refs to make a call on players but not on "Jordan." (page 26)

Sometimes if a game gets a little physically rough the referees will huddle together and start calling their "ticky tack" fouls on "the players who really don't matter." Fouls that if one player barely touhed another player, a foul was called. We would never call these types of calls on Superstars...It was important to keep the stars on the floor." (page 24)

In the 2006 NBA Finals the Mavs won the first two games at home. For the league office, this wasn't acceptable. "With millions of dollars of revenue on the line, a sweep by the Mavs was out of the question." In Game 5 of that series the Heat had 49 free throws to the Mavs 25.(page 82)

The 2002 Western Conference Finals between the LA Lakers and the Sacramento Kings is a stunning example of game manipulation at its ugliest. As history shows the Kings lost game 6 in a wild come-from-behind thriller that saw the Lakers repeatedly sent to the foul line. For other NBA referees watching the game it was a shameful performance by Dick Bavetta's crew. Read the letter Ralph Nader wrote to David Stern concerning this travesty.(page 98)

Page 100 tells the fixing of a game for the Lakers in the 2000 Western Conference Finals. Players who are liked get the benefit of the doubt on calls and the players who are disliked get all the calls against them - Allen Iverson is a great example. No matter how many times Allen Iverson was fouled and went to the floor, he would not get a call.(page 4)

Pro Basketball is fake, fixed, and favors the star athletes. Think about it, when was the last time you saw a superstar foul out. This book confirms what I suspected.

Don't watch NBA games, the outcome is predetermined. College games are true competition.

14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Must read for NBA fans, February 12, 2010

By 

Mavsgirl "Book Lover" (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Personal Foul: A First-Person Account of the Scandal That Rocked the NBA (Paperback)

I loved reading this book. Tim Donaghy was very insightful on what goes on in the NBA. I'm a big fan of the NBA. The only problem with reading this book is that I can't take the games seriously anymore. Whenever there's a bad call, I see it as being fixed and not just a bad call. Also, I know the teams I love to watch, like Dallas and Phoenix, will never win a championship because the referees don't like the owners and the referees will throw a game to favor the people they do like. Tim's got nothing to lose and throws everybody, and I mean EVERYBODY, under the bus. If you're a big NBA fan like myself, you can't miss this one.