Do Feds Suspect Another Ref?

Officials report being asked about Bavetta during Donaghy probe
By Katherine Thompson,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 13, 2008 9:00 AM CDT
Do Feds Suspect Another Ref?
Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant (24) yells at referee Dick Bavetta in a game on March. 2, 2008. Bavetta refereed the first game of the finals series in Boston.   (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

While questioning former NBA referees about Tim Donaghy, federal investigators also asked lots of questions about another ref named Dick Bavetta, ESPN reports. Commissioner David Stern, however, insisted the league has no concerns about the veteran official, who worked Game 1 of this year's finals. Stern again suggested that Donaghy's allegations stemmed from a desire to reduce his sentence. "Guilt by association is not something that we engage in."

Bavetta was one of the refs on the floor during Game 6 of the 2002 finals, a contest that Donaghy has called into question. Another official assigned to that game "wasn't happy about" all of the calls but insists that "I believe in Dick Bavetta." Stern says that the NBA will speak again with all officials. (More 2008 NBA playoffs stories.)

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