Federal prosecutors allege that NBA player Terry Rozier and a co-defendant planned to bet unders on one of the guard’s Charlotte Hornet teammates, according to ESPN.
- Prosecutors say Rozier's co-defendant, Deniro Laster, discussed another under bet involving a Terry Rozier teammate in April 2023.
- Filings do not establish whether Rozier or the unnamed teammate knew about the alleged betting plan.
- Rozier denies wrongdoing as prosecutors maintain he conspired with Laster to profit from his early exit in a March 2023 game.
Co-defendant Deniro Laster allegedly texted co-conspirator Marves Fairley in April 2023, claiming that he and Rozier were “setting up another under bets, this one involving one of Rozier's then-teammates,” as outlined in the prosecutors' court filing Friday.
Rozier and his attorney, David Markus, denied the new allegations “in the strongest possible way,” per a statement made to ESPN Friday.
“Terry Rozier is innocent,” Markus wrote in a court filing Thursday. “The objective evidence proves it. Unlike every other individual charged in this sweeping conspiracy, he never placed a bet on an NBA game or player prop, and he had no knowledge that anyone else was betting on his performance.”
According to the filings, it remains unclear whether Rozier knew about Laster’s texts or whether the teammate was aware of any attempt to bet on his unders. The teammate is unnamed in the filings.
No other NBA player other than Terry Rozier is alleged to have engaged in any misconduct related to the gambling scheme, an NBA spokesperson told ESPN in a statement.
The text message was allegedly sent roughly two weeks after Rozier’s March 23, 2023, game against the New Orleans Pelicans, in which he exited in the first quarter following an alleged $100,000 bribe to leave the game early, benefiting bettors wagering on his player prop unders.
Latest development in evolving case
The newly reported texts come as the case has continued to develop over the past several months
Most recently, Rozier’s lawyers had made an effort to seek trial apart from Laster after texts were discovered supporting his claim that he knew nothing about the betting scheme, with NBA medical records supporting his injury claim.
Prosecutors allege that Rozier and Laster, reportedly longtime friends, conspired for Rozier to remove himself early from the March 2023 game, while Laster passed the information on to Fairley so that the group could wager more than $250,000 on his player prop unders across sportsbooks.
Rozier has pleaded not guilty and has been on indefinite leave since his arrest. He is also not currently on an NBA roster.
