NBA Referee Tim Donaghy's Book Canceled By Publisher

by Yuliya Talmazan | October 29, 2009 at 03:47 pm

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The book authored by Tim Donaghy, a former NBA referee with over 750 games under his belt, was canceled by publisher. There are speculations the explosive nature of his book is behind the cancellation.

Donaghy resigned from NBA in 2007 amidst allegations that he was involved in game betting that he himself officiated. Donaghy was sentenced to 15 months of prison time in 2008. He served 11 months and was to spend the remainder of his sentence in a halway house, but was jailed again for violating release terms.

While in prison, Donaghy worked on his memoir titled Blowing The Whistle: The Culture Of Fraud In The NBA, which detailed game betting schemes that Donaghy participated in and some of the potentially scandalous issues facing NBA. The book was supposed to be released this October, but the book's publisher Triump Books canceled the release due to liability concerns. Although NBA denied any involvement, there were allegations that NBA threatened legal actions should the book be published. Triump Books quote "independent evaluation" of Donaghy's remarks as the reason for cancellation.

"After a close legal review of the final manuscript of Blowing the Whistle by Tim Donaghy, and our independent evaluation of some of the author's sources and statements, Triumph Books and Random House have decided not to go forward with the book's publication. Our decision is wholly our own and was made without consultation with any outside parties or individuals," Random House spokesman Stuart Applebaum said in a statement.