The NBA said it allowed Terry Rozier to keep playing after its investigation two years ago into whether he had manipulated his play because it did not find enough evidence of wrongdoing to take him off the court. Rozier, now a guard with the Miami Heat, was with the Charlotte Hornets in March 2023 when suspicious wagers on prop bets involving him raised alarms with sportsbooks, which informed the NBA.
The league interviewed Rozier and investigated his phone before allowing him to continue playing. He appeared in 125 games over the last two seasons. Rozier was arrested and indicted on two federal charges last week that allege he shared information that he would come out of a game early with a friend, who then sold it to a syndicate of sports bettors.
The NBA, according to spokesperson Mike Bass, never technically cleared Rozier. Rozier, through an attorney, has denied the charges.
“At the time, we did not find sufficient evidence to conclude that Rozier violated league rules,” Bass told The Athletic. “As is typical for NBA investigations, this conclusion was subject to any new evidence we might receive.”
That Rozier resumed playing in the NBA following a league investigation, only to be arrested two years later by the FBI, raises questions about the efficacy of future league probes into suspicious gambling activity.
While the league does have a sports gambling investigative team run by a top NBA attorney and a former federal prosecutor, it lacks the investigative heft of law enforcement. The NBA shared what information it found with the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York, which secured indictments this month.
“The NBA does not have the same authority or investigatory resources as the federal government, including subpoena power to obtain information from anyone, law enforcement surveillance, wire-tapping and search warrants,” Bass said.
Multiple sportsbooks flagged suspicious prop bets on Rozier ahead of a game on March 23, 2023. Rozier exited the game after just nine minutes and 34 seconds and after having scored five points — 16 fewer than his season average. In all, $263,000 was bet on Rozier, through individual prop bets or with parlays. Rozier hit the under in points, assists and 3-pointers but went over on rebounds.
Rozier’s attorney, Jim Trusty, says that the guard had a real injury. Bass also said that an MRI confirmed Rozier’s injury.
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