As soon as NBA ref Tim Donaghy was caught betting on games, questions arose as to whether he was a “rogue criminal” as Commissioner David Stern suggested, or if this was a problem throughout the league. No other referees were charged with anything, but Scott Foster’s name came up in discussions because of the 134 short phone calls he had with Donaghy during his betting period.
An investigation cleared his name, legally, but now Foster has spoken publicly for the first time to declare his innocence. Nobody was more eager to tar and feather the NBA refs (even before the Donaghy situation, I think they’re terrible), but I’ve got to say, I believe the guy. In the interview (a must read if you followed the scandal), Foster comes off as candid and honest.
“The FBI specifically asked me, ‘Can you recall Tim pumping you for information?’ I was thinking, ‘How did I miss this? Am I a moron?’ But if two basketball referees aren’t talking basketball, there’s something wrong. That’s what we do. We talk about basketball. We talk about SportsCenter, we talk about what’s in the papers. I thought about everything he and I talked about and whether I knowingly gave him information or if he was using me in any way. Yes, he probably could’ve been doing that. But he was still my friend. I don’t think that all of our conversations were like, ‘Hey, Scott, tell me this! Tell me that!’”
He goes on to talk about how he and Donaghy met and became friends, how the scandal has affected his family, and how it has affected his reputation.
“You can say you don’t care what people think, but that’s not true. You do care what people think. You don’t want people to look at you like you’re a criminal, like you’ve been involved in some sort of shady business. For me, I had accomplished a goal I had worked a long time for: to work the Finals. I worked two games and was very excited about that. For 15 years and 22 years overall, I tried to be a referee who, when I walked on the floor, people would say, ‘He’s businesslike. He’s professional. He’s fair. He’s not a bad guy. I can talk to him and he gives me answers that make sense.’ I thought I was getting to a point in my career that when I walked on the floor that my partners were happy to be with me. That the coaches — not all of them, that’s not going to happen — but for the most part would say, ‘Eh, we’re gonna get a fair shake.’ And then, in one fell swoop, I felt like all that credibility and all that hard work, gaining that confidence, had been wiped away.”
Foster was right when he said that an investigative report won’t clear his name completely, which is part of the reason he chose to talk. It’s much easier to believe the man himself when he presents himself as honestly as he can.
So while I still can’t stand the way NBA games are called and think all the refs should be fired, I guess I’ll at least excuse Foster on all counts of cheating.
