On March 23, 2023, Terry Rozier started for the Charlotte Hornets but played just 9:34 of a game against New Orleans before leaving due to a foot issue and not returning to the game. He did not play the rest of the season after that night (with just eight games left in the Charlotte season and the team out of the playoffs, this was largely greeted with a shrug). Rozier finished the night with five points, two assists and four rebounds.
The U.S. Attorney’s office — the same one that investigated the Jontey Porter betting scandal — is investigating odd betting patterns around that game, a story broken by the Wall Street Journal and confirmed by multiple other sources. The bets were apparently on prop unders for Rozier, who is now a member of the Miami Heat. NBA spokesman Mike Bass released this statement (first to the Wall Street Journal and since to other outlets):
“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 conducted an investigation 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 has not been charged with any crime nor accused of any wrongdoing. Here is what Rozier’s attorney Jim Trusty told ESPN:
“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 on-going government investigation will arrive at the exact same conclusion.”
The question for Rozier is whether he manipulated his performance as part of a scheme where he tipped off bettors. The NBA concluded that was not the case, but now the U.S. Attorney’s office will take a look.
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