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The attorney for Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier slammed the FBI Thursday after his client was arrested as part of officials’ wide-ranging investigation into foul play.
Rozier, Basketball Hall of Famer Chauncey Billups and former NBA coach Damon Jones were among the professional sports figures arrested in the investigation.
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Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier (2) drives to the basket against Washington Wizards guard AJ Johnson (5) in the first quarter at Capital One Arena on May 31, 2025. (Reggie Hildred/Imagn Images)
“We have represented Terry Rozier for over a year. A long time ago we reached out to these prosecutors to tell them we needed to have an open line of communication. They characterized Terry as a subject, not a target, but at 6 this morning they called to tell me that FBI agents were trying to arrest him at a hotel,” James Trusty of Ifrah Law PLLC said in a statement.
“It’s unfortunate that instead of letting him turn himself in, they opted for a photo op. They wanted the misplaced credit of embarrassing a professional athlete with a perp walk. That tells you a lot about the motivations in this case. It seems they’re taking the word of spectacularly unreliable sources instead of relying on actual evidence of wrongdoing that was alleged by the NBA. non-case Terry is not a gambler, but he is not afraid of a fight and he is looking forward to winning this fight.”
Rozier was allegedly involved in a scheme to manipulate statistics in order for his alleged co-conspirators to profit from prop bets.
Pakinomist Digital reached out to the NBA and the Heat for comment.
Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier (2) and guard Jaime Jaquez Jr. (11) celebrates in the fourth quarter against the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena in Washington, District of Columbia on March 31, 2025. (Reggie Hildred/Imagn Images)
NBA LEGEND CHAUNCEY BILLUPS, HEAT’S TERRY ROZIER ARRESTED AS PART OF FBI GAMBLING PROBE
The NBA confirmed in January that Rozier was under investigation by federal prosecutors on suspicion of an illegal betting scheme. The Wall Street Journal first reported the Rozier allegations
The NBA said at the time that it investigated the matter at the time and did not find that any league rules had been broken.
“In March 2023, the NBA was alerted to unusual betting activity related to Terry Rozier’s performance in a game between Charlotte and New Orleans,” the league told The Wall Street Journal in January. “The league conducted an investigation and did not find a violation of NBA rules. We are now aware of an investigation by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York related to this matter and have cooperated with that investigation.”
The game involving Rozier in question was played March 23, 2023, a matchup between the Hornets and the New Orleans Pelicans. Rozier played the first 9 minutes, 36 seconds of that game — and not only returned that night, citing a foot problem, but didn’t play again that season. Charlotte had eight games left and wasn’t in the playoffs, so it didn’t seem particularly unusual for Rozier to be shut down for the final games of the season.
Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier (2) handles the ball in the second quarter against the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena in Washington, District of Columbia on March 31, 2025. (Reggie Hildred/Imagn Images)
In that March 23 game, Rozier finished with five points, four rebounds and two assists in that opening period – a productive quarter, but well below his usual total output for a full game.
