Miami Heat Guard Terry Rozier has been implicated in a gambling scandal surrounding a game in March 2023 that shook up the NBA world. A puzzling performance from Rozier while he was in Charlotte with the Hornets drew the ire of gamblers at the time. Nearly two years later, a scandal is opening up about Rozier’s connection to prop bets for a game against the New Orleans Pelicans. After Jontay Porter Jr. was banned for life for connections to gambling fixes, Rozier was implicated in the same story.
Rozier left the game with what was reported as a sore foot, triggering the under to hit. Suspicious gambling tendencies came up around these bets. Despite the league investigating this occurrence at the time and finding no suspicious activity, there is now an active investigation into the matter from the federal government. Rozier and his party have been notified of the investigation and are trying to tamp down any noise. The Miami Heat guard is carrying on with his normal team activities as the investigation progresses.
Terry Rozier Embroiled In Gambling Controversy
It was announced Thursday that Miami Heat Guard Terry Rozier‘s involvement in a potential gambling scandal. The accusation involves a regular season game in March of 2023 while Rozier was a member of the Charlotte Hornets. There is an investigation surrounding the matter, saying that a suspicious amount of money was involved in prop bets related to Rozier. In that game Rozier left with what was described at the time as a sore foot, enraging gamblers and drawing suspicion from the NBA.
The NBA looked into the situation and determined that there was no foul play involved. However, when federal investigators uncovered the gambling scandal surrounding former Toronto Raptors Center Jontay Porter Jr., Rozier and his situation were tangentially involved. Since this development, there has been an investigation opened into the matter by federal investigators.
In a statement made by NBA spokesperson Mike Bass, he says: “In March 2023, the NBA was alerted to unusual betting activity related to Rozier’s performance in a game between Charlotte and New Orleans. The league investigated and did not find a violation of NBA rules. We are now aware of an investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York related to this matter and have been cooperating with that investigation.”
Rozier Responds To Investigation
When reached for comment on the investigation, Rozier’s camp stated, “We are aware of the NBA’s 2023 investigation which determined there was absolutely no wrongdoing by Mr. Rozier and we are confident that the ongoing government investigation will arrive at the exact same conclusion.” The statement was released by Terry Rozier’s attorney, Jim Trusty. When Rozier himself was asked about the investigation in media availability on Friday, he said, “On advice from counsel, I can’t answer any questions about that matter, so I won’t.”
When asked if he could focus on basketball while this scandal unfolds, he said, “It’s kind of always been easy. It’s kind of been my life, you know. Once I get in between them lines, I can block out anything. So, it’ll be pretty easy for me. I’m around a great group of guys. We’ve got a great locker room, great staff, so it’s easy for me.”
In the game in question, Rozier played 9 minutes before exiting with foot soreness, never to return to the game. Rozier’s prop bets were removed from some sports books ahead of the game with no explanation. Despite a solid opening quarter, his totals for points, rebounds, and assists were well under their posted figures, leading some to question the situation. That game is now the subject of the league’s second major gambling scandal in recent years. It was again initiated by the federal government.
Final Thoughts
The NBA can not be surprised that occurrences like these are coming up. When you get involved to the extent that they and other sports leagues have with gambling companies, there are bound to be some questionable developments along the way. Personally, I’m surprised that there aren’t more cases like this that go on, specifically at the college level. The Porter Jr. case led investigators to scrutinize this case and while nothing is set in stone yet, it’s not looking promising for the Miami Heat guard.
Rozier has said that he’s going to carry on with his day-to-day responsibilities with the team and I get it, there’s not a whole lot else to say or do. Between Rozier’s newest gambling investigation and the Jimmy Butler fiasco ahead of the NBA Trade Deadline next week, the Miami Heat have quickly turned into one of the more chaotic franchises in the league. A resolution to this gambling investigation isn’t likely to break until later in the year or even after the season. As of now, Terry Rozier finds himself in hot water with not only the NBA but federal investigators.
