In the old days, referee Tim Donaghy stood up to some of the toughest guys in the NBA, and all he had was a whistle and a striped shirt that gave him plenty muscle. But in prison, the only whistle Donaghy may be hearing is from another inmate interested in him.
By Frank Fitzpatrick
Philadelphia Inquirer Staff Writer
Tim Donaghy, the ex-NBA referee serving 15 months for his part in a betting scheme, has told a consultant he hired that he was beaten in prison by an inmate with connections to the New York mob.
Next week, Donaghy, whose sentence at the federal prison camp in Pensacola, Fla., is set to expire in October, will enter a halfway house in Tampa, Fla., a process aimed at easing his post-release transition.
Yesterday’s news came not from federal prison officials but via a press release from Executive Prison Consultants, a company that serves as an advocate for federal prisoners.
According to that release, Donaghy was injured in a November assault by a fellow inmate “claiming ties to the New York mob.” That prisoner beat Donaghy with a heavy object, causing severe knee and leg injuries that will require surgery.
