ARLINGTON, Va. (7News) — Before last week, Tim Donaghy's name was at the top of the list when it came to betting scandals in the NBA.
Now, a new scandal has hit the association. Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups, accused of associating with organized crime and luring unsuspecting gamblers into high-stakes poker games to cheat them out of their money, Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and former NBA guard and coach Damon Jones are accused of sharing inside information with gamblers and altering the outcomes of NBA games.
Donaghy knows what it feels like to be the target of a federal sports betting investigation.
“I know what the FBI put me through and what it's like to sit in the hot seat,” he said.
RELATED | Former NBA player, coach arrested in Las Vegas in wider gambling probe
In 2007, Donaghy was arrested by the FBI for providing inside information on games he officiated to known professional gamblers, charges that led to the end of his 13-year career as an NBA referee and the beginning of more than a year in a federal penitentiary.
Watch the whole interview with Donaghy below:
“I'm surprised that it took this long because I really don't think that the players and the coaches and everybody are being educated in the manner that they should, so that they know the pitfalls of all this and the pitfalls of hanging out and being around the wrong people. So I'm surprised it actually took this long," Donaghy said.
As for those arrested in this current scandal, Billups and Rozier, through their attorneys, have each denied the federal charges. Billups’ attorney said his client would not risk his Hall of Fame reputation.
The 7News I-Team'sJohn Barr got the chance to speak with Donaghy about this new scandal. Barr asked whether this bust is bigger than the one that ended Donaghy's career.
“No doubt about it,” he said. “We think it's just the tip of the iceberg. We think that this thing is going to be much bigger than it already is right now. In my situation, they were able to put a lid on it and paint me as one bad apple. And the only guy that was involved when we all know that wasn't the case.”
“I think it's a big sign of what's to come. I think at the college level, you're going to have a lot of these kids that aren't going to make it to the next level, professional sports-wise," Donaghy added. "I think that's where the next scandal is coming from."
Donaghy now lives in Sarasota, Florida, where he works in real estate and spends time on college campuses speaking about the pitfalls of gambling.
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