Terry Rozier is headed to trial after the former Miami Heat guard pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to bribery charges, according to an ESPN report.
Key Takeaways
- Rozier is alleged to have accepted a $100,000 bribe to exit a 2023 NBA game early.
- A judge set his trial for Feb. 8, 2027.
- Rozier’s attorney has asked to lift a bond ban that keeps him from being in contact with the Hornets and the NBA.
Federal prosecutors allege that Rozier accepted $100,000 to manipulate a 2023 NBA game while he played for the Charlotte Hornets, adding to a previous indictment for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering.
Rozier has pleaded not guilty to all charges, and a judge set a trial date for Feb. 8, 2027, for the superseding indictment, which includes bribery in sporting contests and honest services wire fraud conspiracy.
Rozier was arrested and charged in October 2025 during an FBI sports betting scheme takedown that included multiple defendants, mostly bettors. Rozier, who’s out on a $3-million bond, didn’t play for Miami last season and was released by the team in April at the end of the NBA season.
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Hoping to play
Rozier’s attorney, Jim Trusty, also asked the court to change his bail conditions, which prohibit him from having contact with the Hornets or the NBA. Prosecutors argue that the ban should remain in place because the team and the NBA are victims.
“The NBA literally has flagrantly fouled the presumption of innocence,” Trusty said to ESPN on Wednesday. “They should be ashamed of themselves. As you heard from the hearing today, they're still trying to find ways to pretend they're a victim and that Terry should be prohibited from playing basketball, at least practically speaking.”
Trusty officially filed the motion with the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York on June 3, according to a report from the Associated Press, claiming that this ban hurts Rozier’s opportunities to continue his playing career.
“With the NBA’s free agency process officially beginning June 30, maintaining the Hornets on the no-contact list would likely prevent him from having any opportunity to play in the NBA,” Trusty wrote in the motion last week. “Under the current ruling of the arbitrator, an inability to play for or against the Charlotte Hornets would constitute a ‘failure to perform services’ by Mr. Rozier and substantially diminish or eliminate any chance of being contracted by an NBA team.”
The betting scheme
Rozier told his friend Deniro Laster that he would exit a game against the New Orleans Pelicans in March 2023, according to the federal indictments. Co-conspirator Marves Fairley told prosecutors that he agreed to pay the duo $100,000.
Using that information, Fairley and a group of bettors wagered more than $250,000 on the under for Rozier’s player props. Rozier scored five points, recorded two assists, and hit one 3-pointer before exiting the game early. He went below his prop totals on three of the four categories that the bettors wagered on, going over on four rebounds.
Fairley said they settled for a $70,000 payment. Laster allegedly picked up the bribe money from Fairley in Philadelphia and then drove to Rozier’s home, where they counted their payment.
The scheme also includes former NBA player and assistant coach Damon Jones, who pleaded guilty in April to informing the betting group of injuries to LeBron James and Anthony Davis in 2023.
