Early Signs of Congressional Dissatisfaction with David Stern's Response to Scandal

U.S. Congressman Bobby Rush (Democrat-Illinois), who is chairman of the House Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection, has formally requested that NBA commissioner David Stern meet with him to discuss how the NBA manages its operations, particularly in the context of the Tim Donaghy betting scandal. Perhaps based on whether Stern agrees to meet with him and how well that meeting goes, Rush makes clear that he may also call congressional hearings to examine NBA management and its role in the scandal. In a letter to Stern, Rush writes:

If the allegations prove true, this could be one of the most damaging scandals in the history of American sports. Unfortunately, fairly or not, the NBA, more than any other professional sport, has been consistently dogged with allegations that league referees needlessly affect the outcomes of games by making bad calls.

Rush's reaction reflects the same disappointment that many of us had to Stern's press conference on Tuesday, when he paradoxically announced that while the NBA would conduct a thorough internal review, the problem was completely limited to Donaghy. As I wrote for ESPN.com yesterday, how can the NBA conduct a thorough review when the Commissioner has already established its conclusion?

Rush's request also highlights how Stern and many observers are likely missing the forest for a lone tree when they focus all of their attention on Donaghy's apparent bad choices. With humility and honesty, the NBA should also examine to what extent its own policies and practices enabled a situation in which Donaghy could engage in wrongdoing. Given Stern's comments on Tuesday, it doesn't appear that he is willing or perhaps even capable to conduct such an examination, which is why I argued that the NBA should instead hire an independent investigation agency or appoint an independent commission. For the NBA, either option would certainly beat Congress undertaking a highly-publicized, potentially embarrassing public query, which may garner even more attention that Mark McGwire and Rafael Palmeiro received in their less than glorious Congressional moment two years ago.

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