Report: Mavericks owner Mark Cuban consulted a retired FBI agent to investigate officiating in 2006
If you're looking to make an appearance on Shark Tank, here's a free tip: Mark Cuban loves a good conspiracy theory.
Cuban has reigned as the owner of the Dallas Mavericks since 2000. During that time, Cuban has been one of, if not the most, vocal owners in the league.
His gripes usually involve the officiating, which has saddled him with a hefty total of roughly $1.7 million in fines to date. Thankfully, Cuban is not just a billionaire, he's a philanthropic billionaire, as he's matched each fine with an equivalent donation to charity.
However, Cuban may have outdone himself in 2006, when his Mavericks lost in the Finals to the Miami Heat.
Cuban was noticeably upset with the officials in Game 5, of which the Heat won. After the game ended, Cuban stormed onto the court and openly confronted official Joe DeRosa.
His frustrations eventually led him to consult retired 20-year veteran FBI agent Warren Flagg, who looked into the officiating on behalf of Cuban. In Flagg's own words, he told Cuban "'Sue and you'll win your case,' but he knew he'd be killing the Golden Goose."
Cuban ultimately heeded Flagg's advice, and decided against suing the league.
Flagg was later hired by the NBA to investigate the Tim Donaghy scandal, in which the disgraced former referee admitted to betting on the outcome of NBA games.
His comments on that investigation were quite troublesome.
"They wanted this thing to be closed," Flagg said, "and their story was that Tim was the only bad apple. I've never seen a cooperating witness so hammered and badgered. It was because the NBA was running the thing."
He also went on to add:
"If that Donaghy internal investigation ever gets leaked, it's going to be like the performance-enhancing drug investigation in baseball"
[H/T Sports Illustrated]