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

Tim Donaghy (Author), Phil Scala (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 29, 2010

The media has often 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. This is the decisive book that reveals exactly what was done and how it all happened. Which games were affected and how? Did referees target particular players or teams? Just how much did the NBA know and when? How did the mafia get involved? The book answers all of these questions and more. Thrilling and poignant, Personal Foul takes readers 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. The book also includes a foreword by Phil Scala, the FBI Special Agent who worked the Gambino case.

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. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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: Four Daughters LLC (June 29, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 061536263X
• ISBN-13: 978-0615362632
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (43 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #123,418 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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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."

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.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Personal Foul, February 6, 2010

By 

Lindsay Schickel "truth seeker" (Fresno, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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

This autobiographical account of the fall of NBA referee Tim Donaghy is worth reading for any NBA fan. For any long time observer of the game, it is apparent that the referees often manipulate the game and many, many times ignore blatant fouls/ while whistling nonexistent ones depending on the game situation or particular players. Everyone knows it. Announcers routinely say, "They are letting them play tonight." That is code for the referees are not doing their job and allowing mayhem out there. They also inquire, "How will the referees call the game tonight." That is code for which way is the scripted drama going to go. After reading Donaghy's book you will find out some of the reasons why this is so. He freely admits his mistakes although claiming his gambling did not affect his calling of any games. That is dubious even though it is in everyone's best interest to accept his claim at face value to make it all go away. His claims concerning certain games and referees have been virtually ignored by the NBA, the referees, the players, the coaches, the announcers, the commentators, etc. They want to convince us that he was just a lone wolf that went bad and we cannot believe anything he says because he is a convicted felon, except for the one true fact that his calls did not affect any games at any time. The game is pristine. The NBA has a vested interest in ignoring the message and pretending that it doesn't happen. Their prevailing and singular interest is MONEY from the fans, sponsors, TV revenue, apparel sales etc. and do not think the gambling industry is not involved. The NBA runs gambling commercials for Indian Gaming Casinos with virtually every televised game. Pretending that they have no connections to gambling and yet running their commercials is disingenuous at the very least. You may not like the messenger but the message in the book rings true to anyone that has observed the game over the years and stonewalling the problem is not a satisfactory response from the NBA. The book reveals important problematic truths that need to be examined and rectified.