Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier was one of several individuals arrested in an illegal sports betting probe involving tens of millions of dollars, according to the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York.
An investigation into illegal sports betting and rigged poker games linked to organized crime networks has led to the arrest of Rozier at a hotel in Orlando, Florida. He is accused of being involved in a scheme to influence sports betting around NBA games.
The indictment claims that Rozier and other defendants ‘had access to private information known by NBA players or NBA coaches,’ which could potentially influence the outcomes of games or player performances. They allegedly provided this information to co-conspirators who then placed bets based on information that was not publicly available. The defendants would either share the betting profits or receive a flat fee for their information.
‘We have represented Terry Rozier for over a year. A long time ago we reached out to these prosecutors to tell them we should have an open line of communication,’ Rozier’s lawyer, Jim Trusty wrote in a statement to USA Today Sports. ‘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.’
Terry Roizer’s NBA career
Roizer played college basketball for the Louisville Cardinals and was selected as the 16th overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft by the Boston Celtics. He spent four years with the Celtics before being traded to the Charlotte Hornets in 2019 as part of a sign-and-trade deal that sent Kemba Walker to Boston. Roizer remained with the Hornets until January 2024, when he was traded to the Miami Heat in exchange for Kyle Lowry and a 2027 first-round draft pick.
Roizer is currently part of the Miami Heat’s roster, but did not play in the season opener against the Orlando Magic due to a coach’s decision. Rozier averaged 10.6 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 2.5 assists in the 2024-25 regular season.
NBA investigation into Terry Roizer
In 2023, the NBA was notified of unusual betting activity concerning Terry Rozier’s performance during a game between the Charlotte Hornets and the New Orleans Pelicans. The game in question took place on March 23, 2023, where Rozier played for the first nine minutes and 36 seconds before leaving due to a foot injury. This injury ultimately sidelined him for the remainder of the season, which consisted of eight games. After conducting an investigation, the league found that Rozier did not violate NBA rules associated with betting.