Sheed Sounds Off About Donaghy & Refs
On Thursday we wondered what Rasheed Wallace would have to say after reading the following excerpt from former referee Tim Donaghy’s new book:
To have a little fun at the expense of the worst troublemakers, the referees working the game would sometimes make a modest friendly wager amongst themselves: first ref to give one of the bad boys a technical foul wouldn’t have to tip the ball boy that night. In the NBA, ball boys set up the referees’ locker room and keep it stocked with food and beer for the postgame meal. We usually ran the kid ragged with a variety of personal requests and then slipped him a $20 bill. Technically, the winner of the bet won twice-he didn’t have to pay the kid and he got to call a T on Mr. Foul-Mouthed Big-Shot Du Jour.
After the opening tip, it was hilarious as the three of us immediately focused our full attention on the intended victim, waiting for something, anything, to justify a technical foul. If the guy so much as looked at one of us and mumbled, we rang him up. Later in the referees’ locker room, we would down a couple of brews, eat some chicken wings, and laugh like hell.
Well, the wait is over. Sheed was asked about about the excerpt and according to this Boston Herald article here are his comments:
“Hey,” said Wallace, “it lets people know that I ain’t a liar. I mean, that’s pretty much all I got to say about that. Everybody thought I was crazy and militant, but, hey, it came to light.”
Oh, yeah, nine times out of 10,” Wallace said. “Especially (those years) they gave me 38 and 40 techs just for looking, laughing, saying the slightest little thing. I mean, c’mon. They say I complain and this and that, but during those years I didn’t complain more than the next man.”
In a related note, the NBA will be reviewing the accusations made by Donaghy. Uh huh. We’re sure a very thorough review will be conducted by Napoleon Stern and his minions, but we’re not going to hold our breath.
