Mulling the Donaghy Mess

I asked local Division I college basketball referees Frank Scagliotta and Jim Haney the other day what effect, if any, the Tim Donaghy scandal of last summer had had on them.

Haney, a Palmer Township resident, said "the trickledown wasn't as big as everybody thought" while nonetheless acknowledging that it "put more pressure on us" when Donaghy, an NBA official, was found to have bet on pro games, some of which he worked, for four years. He pleaded guilty to two felony counts last August _ conspiracy to engage in wire fraud and waging bets through interstate commerce _ and at his sentencing on April 18 could face up to 25 years in prison and up to $500,000 in fines.

Haney said that fans "had a little more to say" about the whole matter earlier this season.

Though Scagliotta, a Pen Argyl resident, does not believe it will ever be completely put to rest.

"It's a terrible thing," he said. "We're supposed to represent the integrity of the game. When something like that happens, it takes away from that integrity. That incident made more people on a national basis aware that officials can have an impact on the game."

Scagliotta said the NCAA routinely does background checks on referees. Haney noted that FBI agents address the refs every year on the subject of gambling.

But Donaghy's saga is the greatest cautionary tale of all.

"I feel bad for the kid involved," Scagliotta said. "That's something as a ref you need to totally stay away from. ... That certainly calls attention to the fact that all of us, we've got to be careful. You've got to be smarter than that, and stay away from that."