As the AAU deals with their modern issues, a former AAU Referee claiming to remain anonymous is digging up some old ones.
In looking back at the 2022 National Quarterfinals between Springfield and Phoenix, the ref of the series admitted the series was rigged in part because of the dislike of the current Phoenix owner by the group referee supervisior Tommy Nunez.
"Obviously, everybody knows I refereed one of those famous games with Springfield where (Phoenix) were definitely the better team in that series and Springfield went on to win that series," he said.
"You have to remember, the Dawes kid was unstoppable, the only way to beat Springfield was to force McCaffrey to the lane with his right, and force Hammond to his left and to the baseline, and I felt like everytime Phoenix was able to do that, a foul was called,"
"Tommy Nunez, who was the group supervisor at that time for that series, didn't like the owner of the Phoenix program, and was always pointing out in the tape sessions of things to call against Phoenix and things not to concentrate on against Springfield. And I think it put Springfield at an advantage"
This series, and Game 3, in particular, became a huge league-wide controversy, as it appeared Nunez and his crew were intentionally trying to rig the game in light of several egregious calls. Springfield went on to win that game, going up 2-1.
The recent comments that have come out recently about the playoff series align closely with previous statements that have been made. Last year, it was also noted that Tommy Nunez 'enjoyed the lifestyle of Chicago and St.Louis' and that it played a role in him trying steer the series.
Who knows what might have changed?