9:28 am: Rozier’s attorney Jim Trusty has shared the following statement with NBC News:
“A long time ago, we reached out to these prosecutors to tell them we should have an open line of communication. They characterized Terry as a subject, not a target, but at 6 a.m. this morning they called to tell me FBI agents were trying to arrest him in a hotel.
“It is unfortunate that instead of allowing him to self-surrender, they opted for a photo op. They wanted the misplaced glory of embarrassing a professional athlete with a perp walk. That tells you a lot about the motivations in this case.
“They appear to be taking the word of spectacularly in-credible sources rather than relying on actual evidence of wrongdoing. Terry was cleared by the NBA, and these prosecutors revived that non-case. Terry is not a gambler, but he is not afraid of a fight, and he looks forward to winning this fight.”
Former NBA player and coach Damon Jones has also been arrested as a result of the investigation, per NBC News.
Rozier, Jones, and the four other individuals connected to the illegal sports betting case have been charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering, tweets Chris Mannix of SI.com.
Jones has also been connected to the separate (but related) investigation into illegal poker games with mafia ties, Mannix adds (via Twitter). Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups was arrested in connection with that case, as we detail in a separate story.
8:09 am: Rozier is among six people being charged on Thursday for a scheme to use inside information to place unlawful wagers on basketball games, according to Aaron Katersky of ABC News.
6:52 am: Heat guard Terry Rozier has been arrested by the FBI as a result of a federal investigation into illegal sports betting, according to investigative reporter and podcaster Pablo Torre (Twitter link).
Joseph Nocella Jr., the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, will be joined by officials from the FBI, Homeland Security, and New York City police for a press conference on Thursday at approximately 10:00 am Eastern time to discuss the latest developments in the probe into illegal sports betting and poker games, including numerous arrests.
Word broke back in January that federal prosecutors in New York were investigating Rozier as part of a probe into illegal sports betting. Investigators were specifically looking at a game that took place on March 23, 2023, when the veteran guard was still a member of the Hornets.
Ahead of that game, one bettor reportedly placed 30 wagers in 46 minutes on the “unders” on Rozier-related prop bets at a casino in Biloxi, Mississippi, raising alarms about potential suspicious activity. At the same time, there was a rush on multiple sportsbooks in New Orleans of under bets on Rozier props. Sportsbooks and the NBA were alerted, and some books stopped taking bets related to Rozier’s performance that day.
After recording five points, four rebounds and two assists in 9:34 of action in the first quarter, Rozier exited the game during a timeout and didn’t return, citing a foot issue. All 30 of those “under” prop bets won as a result of the abbreviated outing, and Rozier didn’t play the final eight games of the 2022/23 season due to the injury.
ESPN’s Shams Charania said during a TV appearance in June that Rozier had been “cleared, as of right now.” However, subsequent reporting indicated that wasn’t accurate, and that investigators were still looking at the 31-year-old, even if he wasn’t the specific target of the probe.
Rozier was permitted to continue playing for the Heat last season while the investigation was ongoing, but he had one of the worst years of his career, averaging 10.6 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 2.6 assists in 25.9 minutes per game across 64 outings while shooting just 39.1% from the floor and 29.5% from beyond the three-point line. He didn’t see any action in Miami’s season opener on Wednesday.
If Rozier were to be banned by the NBA as a result of this investigation, his contract would be voided and his expiring $26.6MM salary would come off the Heat’s books, notes Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel.
The federal investigation into illegal gambling is part of the same government probe which saw former Raptors big man Jontay Porter plead guilty to a federal felony charge of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Following an investigation, Porter was banned from the NBA for violating league rules “by disclosing confidential information to sports bettors, limiting his own participation in one or more games for betting purposes, and betting on NBA games.”
Free agent sharpshooter Malik Beasley was under investigation as part of the same federal probe, but there has been no indication yet that he has either been arrested or cleared. If he were to be cleared by investigators – and by the NBA – Beasley would immediately become the most popular target on the free agent market.
Put it in reverse Terry, 12 on the way.
What a dunmmy. Some schmuck Like Jontae Porter made short money, while Rozier has made 160 million dollars. link to spotrac.com
That’s not enough for you Terry? You need to screw over your teammates and fans and risk your reputation and freedom to make a little more scrilla?
What a loser.
If the Mob is involved then Terry might have had no choice, ifyouknowwhatimean?
Kash Patel is personally overseeing this if you’re wondering why they’re making a spectacle out of this. Release the files….
They’re not going to release anything. Too many of their constituents, blue and red, would be destroyed by the release.
Yep and every time they try to create a distraction to make us feel helpless and move on I’m going to do my part to keep it in the zeitgeist. That’s all we can do afaik.
I appreciate your motivation!!!! Keep up the good work my friend.
No kings! Yes!! No kings!! Keep protesting and staying in your echo chamber.
Why in the world would people protesting upset you?
The first and second amendments are my favorite so I don’t really care what’s being protested. I respect the unpaid folks out there doing their thing as Americans. Just how I feel about is as a veteran. Just sayin.
@Ghost Maybe they’re in the group that think protesting has been defanged and won’t solve anything? Arrested Development has a great parody about this idea. I’m trying to find my old optimism lately. I’m tired of being so nihilistic and cynical maybe they’re just well-meaning and stuck there.
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With all the sports book gambling that is now allowed throughout pro and college to increase the revenue for different organizations and people it was only going to be a matter of time before something like this was going to go down. American gambling over 100’s of billions dollar at legit gambling establishments, and the billions of dollars that are illegally gambled on shore and offshore sites. It was bound to happen. Now the fall out begins.
So you want kings, drug lord? Please go away when you get your mouth off his butt.