Amid skepticism, Stern defends referees
LOS ANGELES - NBA commissioner David Stern held a press conference last night to address the fallout from the Tim Donaghy scandal and defend the integrity of NBA referees.
The standing-room-only media gathering underscored how former referee Donaghy has overshadowed the Finals between the Celtics and Lakers.
Stern said, "No, no, a thousand times no," to Donaghy's claims that officials engaged in illegal conduct and manipulated the outcome of games.
"It's important to sit here and say to you that the accusations that we manipulate games, the facts underlying those, they're false," said Stern. "We don't. If you'd like me to repeat it again, I will tell you that we don't.
"On behalf of my officials, I'd like to tell you that they don't engage in the criminal conduct of which Mr. Donaghy has accused them. Our officials try very hard with complete integrity and honesty to referee a perfect game. That they fail in that makes them human, but not objects of the kind of ridicule and scorn to which they have been unfairly subjected for the last three days."
On Tuesday, as the Finals shifted here for Game 3, Donaghy implicated other officials in game-fixing in a court filing. The NBA portrayed Donaghy as a desperate man attempting to lighten his sentence. Convicted of a felony for his part in a gambling scandal, Donaghy faces up to 25 years in prison, and the NBA is facing increasing public skepticism about the credibility and professionalism of its referees.
When the scandal broke last summer, Stern said Donaghy was "a rogue, isolated criminal." The assertion that Donaghy acted alone helped the NBA move forward. Now Stern is where he didn't want to be: addressing concerns about the officiating corps. No one is immune, as evidenced by questions concerning highly regarded veteran official Dick Bavetta.
Asked if he had any concerns about Bavetta, Stern simply said, "No."
Stern was more worried about Donaghy becoming an ongoing distraction, and about offering officials the public support and protection he believes they deserve. Stern wondered aloud if he could have done more "PR-wise" for referees.
"I would say the referees have the toughest game to call," said Stern. "I would say there's a lot of officiating done by announcers. Sometimes the coaches are not constructive with respect to the way they think that they can use the officiating to motivate their teams. And sometimes people see calls that are flat-out incorrect, close up, and form opinions with respect to that.
"A certain impression gets left. [But] I think we get to 90 million people who tune into our games in the course of a year. I think they understand our referees are giving it their best, honest effort, and I do believe that."
Although there is an observer program in place that monitors the performances of referees, more oversight might be needed.
Stern said there were no immediate plans to give greater access to officials after games, beyond making referees available to a pool reporter. Stern also dismissed having officials come under the supervision of a separate entity, as suggested Tuesday by Lakers coach Phil Jackson.
"I think that would not be a wise management decision," said Stern.
Although the NBA has taken steps to ensure another Donaghy situation doesn't occur, Stern recognizes that no monitoring system can be perfect. Independent investigator Larry Pedowitz will release his report on the Donaghy scandal after the former referee's sentencing July 14, and the league has already taken steps to protect the integrity of its officiating.
"I can tell you what we've done is things that relate to how referees might have access to information in arenas," said Stern. "Mr. Donaghy claimed that when he heard something about an injury, he made a phone call. But I must say, as honestly and as directly as I can, that if you have a criminal in your midst who's prepared to engage in criminal activity, whether it's the NBA, CIA, or FBI, the armed forces, police departments, or whatever, you've got a problem and you will probably be burned by it."
For the NBA, the question is how much it will get burned by the actions and legal filings of a convicted felon and former referee.
Shira Springer can be reached at springer@globe.com.
