Terry Rozier Betting Probe Shows Feds’ Wide-Ranging Power Over NBA
The unique and pervasive powers of federal prosecutors are key to unpacking an ongoing criminal investigation into illegal sports betting schemes that might touch on Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier. In short, federal authorities might uncover information about an NBA player that the NBA doesn’t uncover.
As reported by The Wall Street Journal on Thursday, prosecutors from the Eastern District of New York are investigating whether Rozier, while a member of the Charlotte Hornets, altered his play during a game against the New Orleans Pelicans on March 23, 2023. If those alterations occurred, they may have reflected a concerted effort to further an illegal conspiracy.
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Rozier has not been criminally charged or civilly sued over these suspicions, but he is being scrutinized as part of a wider federal probe into possible rigged games and manipulated performances in different sports.
Last year, investigators found that former Toronto Raptors forward Jontay Porter partook in a scheme where he bet against himself in games where he feigned injury. The bets were proposition bets (also called “prop bets”), which are wagers on specific events or outcomes in a game. One prop bet for Porter concerned the number of 3-pointers he’d make, with the over/under set at 0.5. He went scoreless in the game and didn’t attempt a 3-pointer before leaving the game with what was reported as an eye injury.
The NBA conducted its own probe and found Porter was guilty. NBA commissioner Adam Silver banned Porter for life, finding his actions undermined the integrity of the game and were “blatant violations” of league rules. Porter pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and awaits sentencing in May.
Porter may be connected to Rozier in the conspiracy, the WSJ reported, because the feds suspect some of the conspirators connected to Porter “had inside information that prompted them to bet large sums of money against Rozier a year earlier.” The bets…
