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ESPN Reveals Reason Why NBA Cleared Terry Rozier Before FBI Arrest

Originally posted on Athlon Sports
By Ishaan Bhattacharya | Last updated Oct 24, 2025 10:08 AM ET

The NBA world's euphoria around the start of the 2025-26 regular season was dampened after the FBI arrested Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups as part of a major federal investigation into illegal gambling.

Rozier's alleged indiscretion came during his time with the Charlotte Hornets. He came out of a game after playing just nine minutes against the New Orleans Pelicans on March 23, 2023, with sportsbooks flagging unusual prop betting activity on the unders for prop bets involving him to the NBA. The federal investigation around him has been publicly known since January 2025, but arrests weren't made until Thursday.

Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier (2) drives to the basket against the Washington Wizards.© Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images

NBA spokesman Mike Bass confirmed to USA Today Sports in January 2025 that the league had found no evidence that Rozier violated NBA rules after an internal investigation.

“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," Bass said. "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.”

With Rozier's recent arrest, many have rightfully questioned how well the NBA investigated the allegations against Rozier and how they cleared him at the time. ESPN's Brian Windhorst appeared on "Get Up" to reveal additional details on the situation, including why the NBA's investigation into Rozier yielded the result it did.

"In the case of Terry Rozier, he's accused of something the NBA already investigated," Windhorst said. "This was not breaking news to the league. ... I talked to the league office about this at length, and the answer, unfortunately, isn't that complicated. The NBA office is not the federal government. They did an investigation, but they don't have the power to wiretap. They do not have the power to get the phone records. They do not have the power to get witnesses to roll on each other. They just were not able to corroborate the charges. ... The NBA ain't the feds. ... That's the simple and direct answer."

This quote intends to put growing conspiracy theories around Rozier's murky situation to bed. Rozier played 123 NBA games after the alleged fixed performance against the Pelicans and 22 games for the Heat after the investigation around him became known on Jan. 30, 2025.

With Rozier and Billups being placed on leave by the NBA while the FBI investigation continues, it has raised many concerns around the integrity of the modern NBA with legalized prop betting.

The league already banned Jontay Porter for life after his involvement in prop betting on unders, so it's hard to imagine Rozier being in the NBA again after this situation. Rozier averaged 10.6 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.6 assists on 39.1 FG% last season for the Heat and is on their cap sheet for $26.6 million this season.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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