Basketball fans have unearthed footage of a woeful performance from Terry Rozier after his arrest by the FBI amid an investigation into Mafia-led illegal sports betting.
More than 30 people have been charged in connection with schemes involving illegal sports betting and rigged poker games backed by La Cosa Nostra, including Rozier.
The Miami Heat guard is accused of participating in an illegal sports betting scheme using private insider NBA information. He was taken into custody in Orlando early Thursday morning.
In the wake of his arrest, footage of his dismal performance against the Cleveland Cavaliers on March 5th has since resurfaced on social media.
The clips showed Rozier consistently giving the ball away, taking difficult shots and passing the ball out of bounds during the 112-107 defeat.
He ended up playing 40 mins and shot 3-for-14 from the field, 1-8 from three and had a remarkable four turnovers on the night.
Basketball fans have unearthed footage of a woeful performance from Terry Rozier after his arrest by the FBI, amid an investigation into Mafia-led illegal sports betting
Footage was taken from the Miami Heat’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers on March 5th
After the fan shared the clip on X, the video was viewed 9.4million times on the platform at the time of writing.
Meanwhile, Rozier was in uniform as the Heat played the Magic in Orlando, Florida, on Wednesday evening, though he did not play in the game.
According to the indictment, released on Thursday morning, Rozier and other defendants ‘had access to private information known by NBA players or NBA coaches’ that was likely to affect the outcome of games or players’ performances.
It is alleged they provided that information to other co-conspirators in exchange for either a flat fee or a share of the betting profits.
It is alleged that the teams whose games were affected by the sports gambling scheme are the Los Angeles Lakers, Charlotte Hornets, Toronto Raptors, and Portland Trail Blazers.
Rozier, 31, was detained at a hotel in Orlando, Florida, where the Heat were defeated by the Magic on the road Wednesday evening, according to ESPN. Rozier did not play due to a coach’s decision.
Rozier’s arrest comes after sportsbooks in multiple states flagged suspicious betting activity on the player’s statistics ahead of the Charlotte Hornets-New Orleans Pelicans game on March 23, 2023.
The FBI alleges that Rozier told the defendants he was going to leave the game early, sparking a flurry of wagers on the under for Rozier’s points, rebounds and assists. Sportsbooks consequently halted betting on the veteran, but it is alleged that over $200,000 of wagers were placed, resulting in tens of thousands of dollars in profits.
Rozier played 40 mins and shot 3-for-14 from the field, 1-8 from three and had four turnovers
The NBA guard was detained at a hotel in Orlando, Florida , where the Heat lost to the Magic
Rozier, who was suiting up for the Hornets at the time, would ultimately leave the game in less than 10 minutes of action due to what was described at the time as a ‘sore right foot.’ He had just five points, four rebounds, two assists, and a foul.
It is then alleged he counted the money with other defendants at his home.
The March 23, 2023 game was Rozier’s final of the 2022-23 season with the Hornets, who traded him to the Heat in January 2024.
Rozier is in the final season of a four-year, $96.3million contract that he signed with the Hornets in 2021.
Along with Rozier, Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups and former Cleveland Cavaliers player Damon Jones were among the high-profile names in the FBI’s investigation.
Trail Blazers coach Billups, 49, who was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame last year, was arrested in a case linked to an illegal poker operation linked with the Mafia.
The poker operation is allegedly tied to the Gambino, Bonanno and Genovese crime families, and saw rigged games take place in Manhattan, the Hamptons and Las Vegas.
Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups was also detained for illegal gambling
Billups, pictured with his wife Piper Riley, is in his fifth year of coaching Portland
Jones, 49, is also alleged to have provided inside information about NBA games to co-defendants who are said to have used it to place sports bets.
He played for 10 NBA teams over an 11-year career from 1998 to 2009 and was a Cavaliers assistant from 2016 to 2018.
In the poker case, meanwhile, it is alleged that the scheme targeted victims who were lured to participate in rigged games that boasted the chance to play alongside former professional athletes, including Billups and Jones.
The FBI claims that the defendants robbed a victim at gunpoint to acquire a rigged shuffling machine.
