Copyright Mechanicsburg Patriot News
Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier was arrested early Thursday morning as a part of the FBI’s investigation into sports gambling, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania. The 31-year-old Rozier was arrested in Orlando following the Heat’s game against the Magic Wednesday night, according to the report. Rozier did not appear in the game but he was available. FBI Director Kash Patel and the Eastern District of New York will hold a press conference at 10 a.m. Thursday to discuss the findings of the investigation, according to Charania. ESPN reported over the summer that a professional sports bettor placed 30 wagers on Rozier in 46 minutes ahead of a game in 2023. All 30 bets won as Rozier, then a member of the Charlotte Hornets, left the game against the Pelicans after 10 minutes, citing a foot injury. According to the report, at least six sports books across multiple states detected unusual betting on Rozier props that day. In 2023, the NBA investigated the situation and found that no league rules were broken, according to ESPN. However, Terry Rozier has now been arrested. Rozier’s attorney, Jim Trusty, previously denied that his client did anything wrong. “It’s unfortunate that he’s a big name in sports and is having to endure all this,” Trusty told ESPN. “My hope and expectation is that at some point that they’ll be done with their investigation and will be professional enough to let us know that it’s 100% over and that they reached the same conclusion that was reached in 2023.” In addition to Rozier, former Raptors center Jontay Porter and NBA veteran Malik Beasley have also been connected to gambling investigations. Porter pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges in 2024 after removing himself from two games. He has been banned from the NBA. Beasley is under investigation in the federal gambling probe but has not been charged. Terry Rozier, who starred at Louisville during his college career, is averaging 13.9 points per game across his 10-plus year NBA career. Rozier started his career with the Boston Celtics, before going on to play with the Charlotte Hornets and now Miami Heat. He is entering his 11th season in the league. The 6-foot-1 guard averaged between 18.0 and 23.2 points per game across five seasons with the Hornets, before being traded to the Heat in January of 2024. Rozier averaged 16.4 points per game his first season with the Heat and 10.6 points per game last year.
