"The NBA gave me some information on games so I just did what was natural," former NBA referee Tim Donaghy said in an interview with ESPN. The referee claims that if the NBA hadn't wanted him to do anything they hadn't given him information that allowed him to make winning picks.Although the NBA gave the same information to other officials who never bet on games Donaghy claims his case is different, "I have a disease, they don't." The disease he refers to is an enormous gambling addiction which led him to bet on games he refereed.
"How is your disease the NBA's fault?" the ESPN interviewer asked the rogue official in the interview, to which Donaghy replied, "why would they give me that stuff if I wasn't supposed to bet on games?" They interviewer replied swiftly, "they were instructions... to make your job easier." At this point Donaghy became flummoxed and reverted to saying the same thing over and over again throughout the rest of the interview process, "There were other guys doing the same thing." The interview ended with Donaghy going: "hey! Look over there, it's a gigantic spider with claws!" and proceeding to barge out of the studio where the interview was held. Meanwhile the crew and the interviewer watched solemnly.
The former referee claims that he does understand that what he did was wrong but it still was everybody's fault but his and that betting on the games was basically the only thing he could do in the situation. This is called diverting blame, kids do it when they break car windows.
