LJWorld.com

Washington — Long before the public knew he had been good friends with Tim Donaghy, NBA referee Scott Foster would hear fans routinely say to him: "How much money you got on the game tonight?"

And now, even after he's been cleared from any wrongdoing in the Donaghy betting scandal, Foster can't help but wonder: Why are fans so suspicious of NBA refs?

"When a referee in another professional sport makes an error, it's human error," Foster said Friday in an interview with The Associated Press. "When a referee in the NBA makes an error, it's some sort of preconceived notion, and that's what's so frustrating. It's almost like NBA referees are not human. I don't understand the differentiation between an NFL official who blows a call and an NBA referee."

Foster spoke at his hotel room hours before working Friday night's game between the New York Knicks and Washington Wizards. It ended a week of interviews - a rarity for an NBA official - designed to give him a chance to tell his story about his relationship with Donaghy, who is serving a 15-month sentence after confessing to betting on games and passing game information to gamblers.

Foster was linked to Donaghy because the two called each other often on the phone over a long period of time, but an investigation by former federal prosecutor Lawrence Pedowitz found that the calls were simply two friends keeping in touch. Foster asked the NBA for permission to tell his story, and he did so starting with three interviews published Tuesday.

"I don't know that I've accomplished anything, but I do feel better that I was able to be heard," Foster said. "I'm still of the opinion that no matter what story's written - good, bad or indifferent - that if you know me, you know and believe everything I've said. And if you don't, no matter what I say or you write, you're going to either think I'm a scoundrel or dirty, or you feel I'm not. After three days, nothing's really changed."

Foster said he expected to get "nonstop" grief from fans over his association with Donaghy, but he said he's getting more or less the same needling he's heard for 15 years as an NBA official.

Foster also said he misses the anonymity he had before his name was linked to Donaghy. At the same time, however, he wonders if the NBA should start letting officials speak publicly more often, if only to let the fans know that these are real people calling the games.

"If you were able to talk to us, you'd find that we are average Joe guys, the guys that coach your kids' basketball teams and do work at your church and whatever else in your society," Foster said.

Foster said he still wonders how he missed the signs that Donaghy was betting on games, but he is convinced that former friend was the only bad apple among his NBA brethren.

"I'm absolutely 100 percent sure that he's the only one," Foster said, "without question."