Blowing the Whistle, will not be published by Triumph Books, an imprint of Former NBA referee Tim Donaghy 's exposé,, will not be published by Triumph Books, an imprint of Random House , after "independent evaluation" of some of his allegations.

Excerpts from the book, published on Deadspin.com, allege NBA referees — including current ones — showed favoritism to some players and coaches and disdain for others, prompting Donaghy to bet a certain way.

Donaghy was sentenced to 15 months in prison in July 2008 for his role in a betting scandal, including accepting money from a gambler in exchange for inside information on NBA games.

"After a close legal review of the final manuscript of Blowing the Whistle by Tim Donaghy, and our independent evaluation of some of the author's sources and statements, Triumph Books and Random House have decided not to go forward with the book's publication. Our decision is wholly our own and was made without consultation with any outside parties or individuals," Random House spokesman Stuart Applebaum said in a statement.

Donaghy is free to pitch his book to another publisher, Applebaum said.

The NBA and the referees union maintain Donaghy acted alone in his illicit exchanges and that the league's referees are impartial.

The book was scheduled for release at the beginning of the NBA season but was cancelled "several weeks ago," Applebaum said. The NBA denied threatening Random House with a lawsuit, league spokesman Tim Frank said.

"When you publish controversial books, as we often do, it is not unusual for interested parties to contact us with their opinion about our prospective publication," Applebaum told USA TODAY. "We always listen to what's being said. The decision as to whether we publish a book is always our own decision based on the manuscript and its veracity and accuracy."

Applebaum would not say if the NBA contacted Random House.

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

After the Donaghy case surfaced, the NBA appointed independent investigator Lawrence Pedowitz to review its officiating program and "Pedowitz's review revealed that the NBA's core values of neutrality and accountability were not compromised by anyone other than Mr. Donaghy," Ventura said.

Donaghy latest claims from the unpublished book will be turned over to Pedowitz, Ventura said.

In their statement, the referees union said: "The National Basketball Referees Association is disappointed, but not surprised, with the actions taken by Tim Donaghy. This continues to be the Tim that we know. He repeatedly attempts to highlight himself in the media, but the 59 NBA referees will continue to officiate games with the utmost integrity and the focus will remain on the 2009-2010 NBA Season."