Terry Rozier declines comment on ongoing federal investigation, no change in Heat playing status
Amid the ongoing federation investigation into whether then-Charlotte Hornets guard Terry Rozier manipulated his performance as part of an illegal sports betting scheme, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said Rozier’s playing status with the team remains the same for now.
When asked about the federal investigation, Rozier said following Friday’s practice that he couldn’t comment on the topic.
“On advice from counsel, I can’t answer any questions about that matter,” Rozier said. “So, I won’t.”
After saying Rozier’s playing status with the Heat remains the same, Spoelstra shut down additional questions Friday regarding the federal investigation of Rozier.
The Heat is referring requests for comment on the investigation to the NBA.
“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. “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.”
The Wall Street Journal was the first to report the news Thursday, noting that Rozier has not been charged with a crime or accused of wrongdoing.
The game being looked at came on March 23, 2023, a matchup between the Hornets and New Orleans Pelicans. Rozier played the first 9 minutes, 34 seconds of that game before leaving the contest early with what was labeled as a foot injury, and he did not play again that season with the Hornets out of playoff contention.
In that March 23 game, Rozier totaled five points on 2-of-4 shooting from the field and 1-of-3 shooting on threes, four rebounds, two assists and one steal in limited minutes before exiting the game late in the first quarter.
While that was a productive quarter, those numbers were still well below Rozier’s usual game-long production that season. During that 2022-23 season, Rozier averaged 21.1 points, 4.1 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game.
“U.S. Integrity notified sportsbooks — and the NBA — that unusual wagers were coming in on Rozier failing to meet certain statistical benchmarks, such as the total number of points or rebounds he would record in the game. Some of the sportsbooks stopped accepting bets on Rozier’s stats that day, people familiar with the matter said,” the Wall Street Journal reported.
“During the previous two seasons, U.S. Integrity sent out just three alerts about NBA games, people familiar with the matter said. Two of those were about games involving [former Toronto Raptors forward Jontay] Porter. The other was the game involving Rozier.”
The investigation into Rozier is part of a larger government probe that led to a criminal charge and lifetime ban from the NBA for Porter.
Despite the ongoing federal investigation, the expectation is Rozier will be available to play for the Heat in Saturday’s game against the San Antonio Spurs at Frost Bank Center (8:30 p.m., FanDuel Sports Network Sun). Saturday’s matchup against the Spurs marks the start of a four-game trip for the Heat.
The Heat learned about the federal investigation of Rozier on Wednesday night.
“It’s been my life, it’s been my life,” Rozier said Friday when asked about his headspace amid the off-court adversity. “So it’s just another stepping-stone for me. But it will be easy. It will be easy. I got great guys around me, I got great family, people that really care about and genuinely care about me. So I’m in a great head space.”
Rozier, who was traded to the Heat midway through last season in January 2024, has averaged 12.1 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game while shooting 41 percent from the field and 29 percent on threes in 42 games (21 starts) with the Heat this season. His production is down from last season, when he averaged 19.8 points, four rebounds and 5.6 assists per game while shooting 44.3 percent from the field and 36.3 percent from three-point range between his time with the Heat and Hornets.
Rozier, 30, has one season remaining on his contract after this season before he can become a free agent in 2026. He’s due $26.6 million next season, with $24.9 million of that salary already guaranteed.
Unlike team-issued suspensions that don’t translate into salary-cap relief, an NBA suspension of Rozier would give the Heat salary-cap and luxury-tax relief (but not relief toward the aprons) of 50 percent of the salary lost during a suspension. Being expelled from the NBA would completely remove Rozier’s salary from the Heat’s payroll.
The Heat traded Kyle Lowry’s $29.7 million expiring contract and a first-round pick to the Hornets to land Rozier midway through last season.
“It’s kind of always been easy for me,” Rozier said of playing through off-court distractions. “It’s kind of been my life. Once I get in between those lines, I can block out anything. So it will be pretty easy for me. I’m around a great group of guys, we got a great locker room, great staff. So it will be easy for me.”
This story was originally published January 31, 2025 at 1:51 PM.
