Terry Rozier was about to get paid. Like every NBA player, his first in-season paycheck was set to come this week — the first installment of his $26.6 million salary with the Miami Heat.
Rozier has been placed on leave from the Miami Heat following [his arrest on federal gambling-related charges](https://www.nbcsports.com/nba/news/what-to-know-about-terry-rozier-chauncey-billups-indictments-amid-sprawling-fbi-investigations). Considering that, the NBA confirmed it would put Rozier’s paychecks — as well as those of Portland coach Chauncey Billups, who was also arrested — into an escrow account with the team until his legal situation is resolved. Rozier will not be paid this week, but if he is later cleared of the charges, he will get his money.
The National Basketball Players Association is pushing back on pay being withheld, saying it violates the Collective Bargaining Agreement and will file a grievance on Rozier’s behalf, it announced in a statement:
“While we are in agreement with the league that upholding the integrity of the game is of the utmost importance, their decision to place Terry on leave without pay is counter to the presumption of innocence and inconsistent with the terms of our Collective Bargaining Agreement. We plan to challenge their decision via the proper channels.”
The NBA’s CBA does allow the NBA to withhold a player’s salary — and place it in an interest-bearing account — under limited circumstances, including suspension. The league’s and the NBPA’s attorneys will argue over the precise language and whether it applies in this case.
Rozier was arrested on a federal indictment that said: “Prior to the Hornets’ March 23, 2023 game against the New Orleans Pelicans, Rozier informed the defendant Deniro Laster that Rozier was going to prematurely remove himself from the game in the first quarter due to a supposed injury and not return to play further. Rozier provided this information to Laster for the purpose of enabling Laster to place wagers based on this information.” The indictment said a week later Rozier was paid for this information. Rozier’s attorney denied the charges and told NBC Sports his client “is not a gambler, but he is not afraid of a fight.”
Part of that fight will be over whether he gets paid while on leave from the Heat while the indictment moves through the court process.
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