Targeted by a federal investigation following suspicious bets when he played at Charlotte, Terry Rozier has just been arrested by the FBI. As well as Chauncey Billups.
The NBA had found nothing suspicious about Rozier's performances, on which suspicious bets had nevertheless been placed when he played at Charlotte, but the FBI had not closed their investigation.
The Miami guard was therefore living with a sword of Damocles above his head, and it has just fallen on him.
As part of their investigation regarding different suspicious bets and illegal poker circles, the FBI have thus just announced the arrest of Rozier, in the company of other potentially implicated individuals. The guard was apprehended in an Orlando hotel, where he was with the Heat following the Florida derby of the night in which he did not participate, Erik Spoelstra having preferred to do without him.
Joseph Nocella Jr, United States attorney for the Eastern District of New York, will hold a press conference at 4pm, French time, to detail the advances in his investigation.
For Rozier, the matter concerns the match of 23rd March 2023, when he still wore the Hornets' colours.
A rushed bettor in Mississippi
Charlotte were preparing to face the New Orleans Pelicans, for what would be the point guard/shooting guard's last match of the season. Because of a supposed foot injury, the latter was only going to play nine minutes during this encounter.
What is suspicious is that a bettor from Biloxi, in Mississippi, placed over 30 bets, in a time span of 46 minutes, on the morning of the match, betting on the fact that Rozier was not going to validate his season averages, and notably that he was not going to reach 5.5 rebounds. With Rozier's injury exit, all the bets were winners, which brought in over $13,000 (£9,754.55) to the bettor.
The question is obviously to know why this Mississippi bettor rushed early in the morning to bet on Rozier's poor performance? In any case, his 30 bets immediately alerted the USI, the authority that monitors bets, which sent a national alert, especially as bookmakers in New Orleans also faced suspicious bets on a poor performance from the Charlotte player, from mid-morning.
Terry Rozier and Chauncey Billups suspended
But the Miami player is not the only NBA member to be in the FBI's sights since ESPN announced that Chauncey Billups, the Portland Trail Blazers' coach, has also been arrested as part of another investigation!
According to information from NBC, it is however not in relation to matches where he was coaching and it would be linked to illegal gambling, involving an illegal poker circle linked to the mafia.
Former player and Cleveland Cavaliers assistant, Damon Jones has also been arrested whilst he is suspected of having provided confidential information to bettors.
"We are examining the federal indictments," the NBA responded. "Rozier and Billups are suspended immediately by their teams and we will continue to cooperate with the relevant authorities. We take these allegations with the utmost seriousness, the integrity of the game being our absolute priority."
This article was originally published on Basket USA.
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