SOURCE: NY Times

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In the past, Franzese illustrated his point by talking about the athletes he ensnared in the 1980s, when he was a member of the Colombo crime family. Players who could not pay their gambling debts were threatened with physical harm unless they complied with Franzese’s orders.

But those players remain anonymous, and those examples remain trapped in a pre-Court TV era. The Donaghy case provides a vivid new portrait of the consequences of associating with gamblers. An entire league’s integrity is now in question.

“Look at the cloud it puts over the game, because you got one guy who went off-kilter like this,” Franzese said.

But based on his experience, and his familiarity with the N.B.A., Franzese is convinced that the scandal will end with Donaghy.

“In my opinion, this guy is an isolated incident,” he said. “He got himself involved with the wrong people. I don’t think you’re going to see much more of it.”

Franzese also said he was not shocked when the case came to light in July — “because my experience with gambling in general is that nobody is immune from it.”

Franzese commended the N.B.A. and other professional leagues for their anti-gambling efforts. He cited the extensive background checks and educational programs the leagues all conduct.

But, he said: “At some point, you’ve got to rely on the integrity of the person. Unfortunately, this guy, he didn’t have that kind of integrity.”

Franzese expressed sympathy toward N.B.A. referees, because Donaghy has provided fodder for conspiracy theorists and cynics. “The paranoia,” he said, “is going to be heightened now because of Donaghy.”

Gambling education has been part of the N.B.A.’s rookie program since its inception in 1986. Veteran players get refresher courses at least every other season. Referees also attend a gambling seminar at their annual training camp.

The challenge of steering players, or anyone, away from gambling has only increased in recent years, Franzese said. He cited the proliferation of online gambling sites and the explosion of competitive poker, which is now marketed as a sport.

He told the story of a professional athlete who had his identity stolen while gambling online. That player soon “got a visit” from a professional gambler who threatened to use that information to commit fraud in the player’s name.

Those are the kinds of stories that grab a young athlete’s attention.

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