NBA Reinstates Seven Referees

The NBA Friday reinstated seven referees who had resigned after being charged with federal tax violations.

The officials -- Hank Armstrong, Joey Crawford, Joe Forte, Jess Kersey, Mike Mathis, George Toliver and Don Vaden -- have all been off the NBA officiating staff for at least six months.

"This is a time for healing," said NBA commissioner David Stern. "Each of the referees has accepted his punishment and expressed genuine remorse for his actions."

The entire roster of officials for the upcoming season, which has been pushed back to February due to the lockout, will be released later this month.

Each of the seven reinstated officials faced charges of cashing in first-class airline tickets provided by the league for coach tickets and pocketing the unreported monetary difference. The officials were prosecuted separately.

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