On the day that could mark Game 7 of the NBA Finals between the Lakers and Orlando Magic, the main figure in the league’s most notorious scandal will be released from a federal prison. But former referee Tim Donaghy, who once charged the league tried to take steps to set up a series to go seven games in order to generate more revenue, will not be exiting Federal Prison Camp in Pensacola, Fla., next Thursday at the speed of a fast break. In November 2008, while serving his 15-month sentence – that next will be followed by a period of time in a transition center – Donaghy was attacked by a fellow inmate and suffered considerable damage to his knee, according to a source who has maintained regular contact with Donaghy during his imprisonment. Had Donaghy somehow raised the ire of the other inmate to spark a whack to the knee, or was it a Nancy Kerrigan-esque hit? Donaghy could not comment for this story, said the source, who added the former referee was unsure why he was assaulted and hit “several times with a paint-rolling stick.”
