ABOUT THE NBA AND GAMBLING - Arnie Wexler
Ten years ago, as a compulsive-gambler counselor, I was asked to come to the National Basketball Association office in Manhattan and met with league officials, x players and union officials, concerned about players' gambling. The N B A paid for my ticket-- I was told, "We have a problem, and we're trying to find out how bad the problem is" Officials asked me to keep my calendar open for the spring of the following year and said to me that they hoped that I might address every team in the league.
When I hadn't heard from the NBA, I called and asked, "When do we start?" The told me it was cancelled, and the response I got was this: "They said that the higher-ups didn't want the media to find out"
HERE ARE THE FACTS
AS FAR AS MY STORY I GOT A CALL FROM HORACE BALMER HE WAS THE HEAD OF NBA SECURITY HE FLEW ME IN TO NYC FROM FLA DEC 99 I HAD A MEETING WITH ABOUT 10 -12 NBA TOP PEOPLE I CAN NAME THEM THEY WANTED ME TO SPEAK TO ALL THE TEAMS FROM JAN - MARCH 2000
THEY ASKED MY WIFE TO COME TO THE 2ED MEETING, THEY HAD US DEVELOP QUESTIONS TO GIVE TO THE PLAYERS AFTER I SPOKE TO THEM.
THEY TOLD US THEY "HAD A BIG PROBLEM WITH PLAYERS GAMBLING"
THE DEAL WAS A HANDSHAKE THEN 2 WEEKS LATER I CALLED TO GET STARTING DATE THEY SAID DAVID STERN KILLED IT "HE DIDENT WANT THE MEDIA TO FIND OUT THEY WERE GOING TO DO THIS"
WE WROTE THE QUESTIONS AND GAVE THEM TO THE PEOPLE WE MET WITH. I ALSO SENT THEM SELF ADDRESSED TO MY SELF IN AN ENVOLOPE I STILL HAVE THEM IN A SEALED POSTMAKED ENVOLOPE
WHEN USA TODAY WANTED TO DO THE STORY LAST YEAR THEY CALLD DAVID STERN AND WAS TOLD THEY DID NOT WANT TO ADMIT OR DENY THEY HAD THOSE MEETINGS WITH ME AND SHEILA
ARNIE WEXLER
ASWEXLER@AOL.COM
When I hadn't heard from the NBA, I called and asked, "When do we start?" The told me it was cancelled, and the response I got was this: "They said that the higher-ups didn't want the media to find out"
HERE ARE THE FACTS
AS FAR AS MY STORY I GOT A CALL FROM HORACE BALMER HE WAS THE HEAD OF NBA SECURITY HE FLEW ME IN TO NYC FROM FLA DEC 99 I HAD A MEETING WITH ABOUT 10 -12 NBA TOP PEOPLE I CAN NAME THEM THEY WANTED ME TO SPEAK TO ALL THE TEAMS FROM JAN - MARCH 2000
THEY ASKED MY WIFE TO COME TO THE 2ED MEETING, THEY HAD US DEVELOP QUESTIONS TO GIVE TO THE PLAYERS AFTER I SPOKE TO THEM.
THEY TOLD US THEY "HAD A BIG PROBLEM WITH PLAYERS GAMBLING"
THE DEAL WAS A HANDSHAKE THEN 2 WEEKS LATER I CALLED TO GET STARTING DATE THEY SAID DAVID STERN KILLED IT "HE DIDENT WANT THE MEDIA TO FIND OUT THEY WERE GOING TO DO THIS"
WE WROTE THE QUESTIONS AND GAVE THEM TO THE PEOPLE WE MET WITH. I ALSO SENT THEM SELF ADDRESSED TO MY SELF IN AN ENVOLOPE I STILL HAVE THEM IN A SEALED POSTMAKED ENVOLOPE
WHEN USA TODAY WANTED TO DO THE STORY LAST YEAR THEY CALLD DAVID STERN AND WAS TOLD THEY DID NOT WANT TO ADMIT OR DENY THEY HAD THOSE MEETINGS WITH ME AND SHEILA
ARNIE WEXLER
ASWEXLER@AOL.COM