Stern: Our Refs Need To Get In On That Sweet Action

With the NBA still suffering from the fallout of the Tim Donaghy scandal, commissioner David Stern today announced changes in the rules regarding gambling for the league's referees.

Stern said an internal review had found that all of the league's 56 referees violated the contractual prohibition against engaging in gambling, with more than half of them admitting to placing wagers in casinos. But Stern said none of the violations was major, and no referees had admitted to wagering in a sports book or with a bookie.

So what do you do when everyone's breaking the rules? Change 'em! Referees will now no longer be in violation if they sit down at a poker table and limp in on the flop if their holding sailboats or even if they do something as stupid as say '7' aloud at the craps table (which we all know will result in me screaming the vilest of obscenities at the offender).

Now maybe it's because BBJ and I both attended college 20 minutes away from both Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun or that I am so obsessed with all things MJ that I sent my saint of a mother to spy on him at said casinos, but we here at The Howeva Files don't actually mind Stern's decision. Obviously, buying a Powerball ticket doesn't put the integrity of the sport at risk and with the league considering having a franchise in Las Vegas, Stern was going to have to reach some reasonable middle ground before the league is crushed under the weight of the public's Tommy Heinson-esque conspiracy theories.

Way to go David! Give him a Tommy Point!