Basketball Donaghy's release Wednesday

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Former NBA referee Tim Donaghy is expected to be released from federal prison in Florida on Wednesday.

A New York judge sentenced Donaghy last year after the disgraced referee said he accepted thousands of dollars from a professional gambler in exchange for inside tips on NBA games -- including games he worked.

Donaghy served a 15-month sentence on federal wire fraud charges and was released to a halfway house in June. He was sent back to prison in August when he was accused of violating his federal probation by not showing up for work, the U.S. Marshals Service said.

According to the Inquirer, the 42-year-old Donaghy has hired consultants to help him as he returns to society. He continues to receive treatment for a gambling addiction and hopes to find work in sales or marketing, the Inquirer reported, citing a press release issued by Executive Prison Consultants.

Donaghy suffered a knee injury at the hands of a fellow inmate, but otherwise he "is in good health and is excited about reuniting with his four daughters and family," the release read, according to the Inquirer.

Last week Donaghy's tell-all book, "****ing the Whistle: The Culture of Fraud in the NBA," was canceled by Triumph Books and parent company Random House, the publisher said.

The book, slated for publication later this month, was to have covered Donaghy's experience as an NBA referee and the events leading up to his conviction.

During the process of editing and vetting the manuscript, which Triumph received from Donaghy in the spring, Random House and its imprint made the joint decision to cancel the book out of "concerns over potential liability," according to an e-mail from a Triumph representative.

Pat Berdan, a senior consultant at Executive Prison Consultants and Donaghy's liaison to the publisher, told ESPN The Magazine's Sam Alipour that the decision not to publish the book came two weeks ago.

The NBA said last week it will review allegations reportedly made in the book by Donaghy, among them that he was able to bet on games based on information on the styles of officials and some of their relationships with certain players and teams.

"In 2008 Mr. Donaghy's allegations were thoroughly investigated by the FBI and the U.S. Attorney's Office," the NBA said in a statement on Thursday. "We are reassured that the U.S. Government completed its investigation finding that the only criminal conduct was that of Mr. Donaghy."
 
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