Terry Rozier must forfeit much of $26.6 million salary from last season, wants to talk to teams as free agent
· Yahoo Sports
Wednesday saw two interesting twists in the case of Terry Rozier, the former NBA player charged with taking part in an illegal gambling scheme while a member of the Charlotte Hornets.
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First, the same arbitrator who ruled in February that the Miami Heat had to pay Rozier his $26.6 million salary this past season has now altered his ruling to say Rozier was in violation of his NBA contract and must forfeit much of that money, something released in a court statement and first reported by Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic.
Second, Rozier's attorney asked the judge in his case to lift a no-contact order with the Charlotte Hornets — the team Rozier was with when he allegedly committed the crimes — because it is hindering his free-agent opportunities, a development first reported by the Associated Press.
Rozier was named in a federal indictment and has been charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering, among other things. Prosecutors allege Rozier conspired with known professional gamblers to win prop bets based on his performance (in games where Rozier removed himself early due to injury). A second indictment came down last week, tied to the same case, and in each instance, Rozier has proclaimed his innocence. He has said he did not participate in the scheme and has asked that charges against him be dismissed.
While the arbitrator originally ruled the Heat had to pay Rozier for this season while he awaited his day in court, the NBA returned to that case to argue that because of the terms of Rozier's bail bond — he cannot travel across the country or be in contact with the Miami Heat or Charlotte Hornets — he could not fulfill his contract and should not have been paid. The arbitrator agreed.
Also on Wednesday, Rozier's attorney, Jim Trusty, filed a motion with the court asking the judge to dismiss the ban on contact with the Hornets as NBA free agency nears. From the filing (via the AP):
"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. 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."
In a practical sense, no NBA team would go near the 32-year-old guard with this gambling case hanging over him (something unlikely to change even if he ultimately does have the charges dismissed). The Heat waived Rozier in April and technically he is a free agent. Rozier played 10 NBA seasons, averaging 13.9 points per game.