Many people have been wondering whether referees have been throwing games throughout multiple sports. The ref has lots of power over the outcome of a game. If the ref is good at hiding what they’re doing, they can change how the game goes. Tim Donaughe for example, is a former NBA referee who was throwing games for bets and making a lot of cash doing it. It’s frustrating to watch because the game loses its authenticity. There aren’t many Tim Donaghues anymore, but we don’t know for sure, as there has been some speculation recently.
A controversial game was played in November 2025, where the Kansas City Chiefs faced the Las Vegas Raiders. Three top referees were later fired, though the reasons were not explicitly linked to the game’s outcome in all reports. The timing fueled online theories, according to Sports Illustrated.
Another game that is thought to have been rigged was the Eagles vs. Steelers matchup. This matchup was the “Battle of Pennsylvania,” a heated inter-conference rivalry rooted in state pride. These games were in December 2025. There were social media posts and reports of referees being suspended after allegedly making numerous errors that impacted the game’s outcome, leading to speculation about the integrity of the officiating. The NFL and the connection between broadcasting and gambling also raise suspicions about referees allegedly throwing games for money. Many fans believe that the increased integration of legal sports gambling into NFL broadcasts has created an environment where games are more susceptible to influence, arguing that “money always wins.”
Although that isn’t the only reason refs would intentionally miss calls, it could also be for a certain team to make the playoffs or championship game, like the Chiefs. Many people have speculated that the Chiefs have been getting a higher number of calls for them so they have an advantage, but they have also been good for a couple of years. However, the Chiefs have not been as good this year.
Head coach Andy Reed said, “We’ve got to do better. Get opportunities in the red zone or field position, you’ve gotta take advantage of that. With special teams, we gotta create field position, and then defensively, we’ve gotta maintain it. And so in those cases, we weren’t quite good enough, and in all three phases. Again, that’s my responsibility to make sure that you don’t have these kinds of mistakes, and so I’ll look in the mirror first on this.”
There have also been people wondering if it’s not just the refs, but if the players are throwing the games in college basketball because of point shaving and game fixing schemes. Similar federal cases are also ongoing in the NBA, notably the investigation involving former player Jontay Porter and a potential inquiry into Terry Rozier, focusing on players manipulating their performance rather than officials. Terry Rozier’s attorney, Jim Trusty, said, in response to allegations, “My client is not a gambler.”
Ultimately, there really isn’t any for sure known game throwing besides Tim Donuaghe, but that happened a while ago. Fans most likely get emotionally charged when their team loses and blame it on things like cheating, but throughout all sports, there have been some games that the officiating looks so ridiculous that it would not be absurd to assume some game-throwing activity is going on. This goes for the players, too. If they are playing completely differently each time and possibly doing extremely unusual things, then there is no concrete evidence, but you could make an educated assumption about it.
