Defense says Donaghy couldn't help himself; sentencing today

0 Comments | Philadelphia Daily News, July, 2008 | by WILLIAM BENDER benderw@phillynews.com

For Tim Donaghy, 1994 was the beginning of the end - the first of his 13 years as an NBA referee, and the moment when his "pathological" gambling addiction took root on the golf course.

So says Stephen Block, a gambling treatment counselor whose evaluation was submitted yesterday to U.S. District Judge Carol Amon in an effort to reduce the ex-ref's jail term.

Donaghy - who is to be sentenced today in federal court in Brooklyn, N.Y., for providing basketball picks to two friends in exchange for cash payments - began betting in 1994 at local country clubs, Block wrote.

But the friendly bets escalated to as high as $500 a hole as the Havertown native developed a gambling habit that would eventually cost him his career and mar the NBA's reputation. He also played...