Former NBA referee who lost job in betting scandal arrested in Manatee County

A former NBA referee was arrested after a confrontation outside a Bradenton home, according to court documents.

Tim Donaghy, 50, of Sarasota, was arrested around 10:40 p.m. Monday after deputies say he showed a hammer to a man during an altercation outside the man’s house, according to a probable cause affidavit from the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office.

The man told deputies that Donaghy came to his house looking for his 19-year-old daughter who is a friend of his own daughter. Donaghy believed his daughter was using drugs at the home in the 14000 block of Nighthawk Terrace, according to the affidavit.

Donaghy confronted his daughter in the street in front of the home, but when the man went to ask what was going on, Donaghy held up a hammer and threatened to hit him with it if he came any closer, according to the affidavit.

The man told deputies he did not know Donaghy before the incident.

Donaghy was charged with one count of aggravated assault, a third-degree felony. He was released on a $5,000 bond Tuesday.

Donaghy is scheduled to be arraigned on Jan. 19. His attorney told TMZ Sports Donaghy did not threaten or assault anyone, but had the hammer for his own protection, insisting he was “just trying to be a good dad.”

He previously spent 13 months in prison for betting on NBA games he officiated, according to ESPN. Donaghy pleaded guilty to conspiracy to engage in wire fraud and transmitting betting information through interstate commerce.

This story was originally published December 22, 2017 at 10:08 AM with the headline "Former NBA referee who lost job in betting scandal arrested in Manatee County."