Rhona Wise-Imagn Images
Mar 3, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier (2) warms up prior to the game against the Washington Wizards at Kaseya Center.
Former NBA star Terry Rozier could well be staring down the barrel of a lengthy jail sentence for his role in a detailed gambling operation that allegedly involved Rozier fixing the outcomes of his games and altering his own performance to win bets.
However, Rozier may have just been handed a saving grace thanks to a pair of text messages that his attorney, David Markus, says should end the case against Rozier altogether.
If Laster’s description of the messages is true, it’s hard to disagree with his argument. However, prosecutors are doubtful.
Terry Rozier May Well Have Been Unaware Of His Role In Gambling Scheme
Rozier stands accused of taking a $100,000 bribe in order to fix bets, and had to forfeit over $26 million in salary.
But earlier this week, Rozier’s lawyers submitted texts into evidence that suggest the former Celtics, Hornets, and Miami Heat player may not have known about the bets at all.
“Dont tell chum bout the bet,” Rozier’s friend Denior Laster said in one of the messages, referring to Rozier by what his lawyers claim is his nickname.
“Hell no,” the recipient responded.
Markus claims that these texts show that Rozier was entirely unaware of the gambling operation.
“This should end the case,” his lawyers argued in a legal filing. “One does not hide a bet from the person who supposedly sold it.”
However, that’s not how prosecutors see it.
In a response filing, they claimed to have “developed evidence from multiple sources that this text chain does not relate to sports gambling.”
Markus then replied in his own filing, stating that the government “has produced co-conspirator statements confirming that Mr. Rozier did not know about the bets before the game.”
Although it’s unclear what that evidence is.
Rozier has pleaded not guilty, and his attorneys asked a judge in December to dismiss the initial charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. On Friday, they also asked a judge to dismiss the two additional charges of bribery in sporting contests and honest services wire fraud conspiracy.