El Podcast

E59: NBA Ref Rigged Games: Shocking Four-Season Scandal - w/ Sean Patrick Griffin

Episode Summary

In episode 59 of El Podcast, Sean Patrick Griffin joins us to discuss the Tim Donaghy NBA betting scandal, exploring various aspects of the story and debunking misconceptions. The chapters cover the leaking of the story, the implications of the leak, Tim Donaghy's gambling and game fixing, the difficulty in proving game fixing, the dominance of Tim Donaghy's version in the narrative, the role of movers like Jimmy Battista, a comparison between the stock market and sports gambling, Scott Foster's connection with Tim Donaghy, the restitution issue, and the absurdity of Tim Donaghy's claims. The conversation also touches on Tim Donaghy's pension from the NBA. The conversation covers various topics related to the NBA betting scandal and the influence of officials on game outcomes. It explores Tim Donaghy's pension and restitution, the easiest sport to fix, the influence of fantasy sports, prop bets, and the potential for future scandals. The guest, Sean Patrick Griffin, discusses his book 'Gaming the Game' and emphasizes the importance of skepticism in media consumption. Watch the whole episode 📺 https://youtu.be/G-KqvnngBlc

Episode Notes

Former detective and author Sean Patrick Griffin exposes the real story behind the NBA betting scandal and referee Tim Donaghy’s game-fixing scheme.

Guest Bio:
Sean Patrick Griffin is a Professor of Criminal Justice at The Citadel, former Philadelphia police detective, and author of Gaming the Game, the definitive investigative account of the NBA betting scandal involving referee Tim Donaghy. He is a recognized expert on organized crime and white-collar crime.

Topics Discussed:

• Timeline and mechanics of the 2003–2007 NBA betting scandal
• Tim Donaghy’s relationship with professional gamblers like Jimmy Battista
• The role of betting line movement and market manipulation
• Media failures and the persistence of Donaghy’s false narrative
• Why the FBI and NBA didn’t pursue deeper investigations
• Myths debunked from the Netflix documentary Untold: Operation Flagrant Foul
• Ethical breakdowns in sports betting and media accountability

Best 3 Quotes:

• “You can’t win 78.7% of your bets by chance. The professional gamblers knew he was fixing games.”
• “The truth is not what gets reported — it’s what gets repeated.”
• “Isn’t the fact that an NBA referee fixed games over four NBA seasons sexy enough?”