It turns out fixing an NBA game is a crime. NBA star Terry Rozier found that out the hard way. Police arrested the athlete on Thursday, accusing him of allegedly fixing a game for profit.
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The game in question happened in 2023. Rozier allegedly tipped off a group that he planned to leave the game with a foot injury. At the time, Rozier was playing for the Hornets in a match up against the Pelicans.
Rozier was a starter for the game. But near the halfway mark during the match, the NBA star appeared to have hurt his foot during a shot at the free throw. After the shot, the athlete appeared to be injured.
NBA Star Arrested
Running back for defense, Rozier momentarily stopped and reached for his ankle. The athlete appeared to be in distress during the game and was injured. A couple of minutes later, the team would pull him from the game.
Rozier was one of several people arrested related to the NBA in connection with an FBI sports betting and poker probe. NBA Hall of Famer Chauncey Billups was also arrested. Police accused Rozier of profitting off the game in the tune of thousands of dollars.
After his arrest, Rozier’s agent, Jim Trusty, criticized FBI for the arrest.
“A long time ago we reached out to these prosecutors to tell them we should have an open line of communication. They characterized Terry as a subject, not a target, but at 6 a.m. this morning they called to tell me FBI agents were trying to arrest him in a hotel,” Trusty told The New York Post.
“It is unfortunate that instead of allowing him to self-surrender, they opted for a photo op. They wanted the misplaced glory of embarrassing a professional athlete with a perp walk. That tells you a lot about the motivations in this case.”
Meanwhile, the NBA previously investigated Rozier and didn’t find him at fault.
“In March 2023, the NBA was alerted to unusual betting activity related to Terry Rozier’s performance in a game between Charlotte and New Orleans,” NBA spokesman Mike Bass said earlier this year.
“The league conducted an investigation and did not find a violation of NBA rules. We are now aware of an investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York related to this matter and have been cooperating with that investigation.”