Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert was fined $100,000 on Sunday for making a money signal with his fingers during a loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday, insinuating that referee Scott Foster was on the take.
Gobert was called for a technical foul toward the end of regulation in a game that Minnesota would eventually lose in overtime. Gobert felt he was fouled near the basket and said after the game that he expected to be fined for being “the bad guy who speaks what I think is the truth.”
“I’ll take the fine, but I think it’s hurting our game,” Gobert said. “I know the betting and all that is becoming bigger and bigger, but it shouldn’t feel that way.
“I made some mistakes. I air-balled a dunk. Mistakes happen. Referees make mistakes, too. But sometimes I think it's more than mistakes. I think everyone that's in this league knows. I think it's got to get better.”
Foster's ties to Donaghy
Foster, a longtime NBA ref, has found himself embroiled in sports betting controversies before. He was close to fellow referee Tim Donaghy back when Donaghy admitted to betting on NBA games and wound up doing jail time for related illegalities. The two men spoke frequently over the phone at the peak of Donaghy's gambling, although Foster was never implicated in any wrongdoing.
Donaghy's career arc since incarceration has included a stint as a pick-seller, during which he has touted his “insider knowledge of officiating games and understanding of what can impact the score.”'
On Thursday, Donaghy will appear on a Drake Group panel titled “The College Athlete: Match Fixer, Gambling Addict, or Victim?” According to his bio on the Drake Group website, Donaghy will “speak about the clear and present danger that faces the NCAA in relation to sports gambling.”
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