An arbitrator ruled last month that NBA free agent Terry Rozier violated his player’s contract and will forfeit his 2025-26 season salary of $26.6 million after being indicted for his role in a sports gambling scandal.
According to court documents obtained by USA TODAY Sports, an arbitrator said Rozier should not be paid. The guard did not play for the Miami Heat during the 2025-26 season, and as a condition of his bond after his October arrest, he was not allowed to travel with the team or contact the Heat or the Charlotte Hornets, for whom he played when the alleged scheme took place.
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The arbitrator’s ruling was included in documents filed in the Eastern District of New York in connection with Rozier’s motion to modify the conditions of pretrial release. He was arrested in October and charged with wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy.
Rozier was put on immediate leave by the NBA after being accused in a wide-ranging illegal gambling scheme that includes ties to organized crime and involves more than 30 individuals. Federal authorities allege in court documents that Rozier provided insider information that gamblers used to place wagers on the Los Angeles Lakers, Trail Blazers, Charlotte Hornets, Orlando Magic and Toronto Raptors over the span of a year. The National Basketball Players Association filed a grievance on his behalf, and an arbitrator originally ruled that Rozier should be paid his full salary while on leave.
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Rozier allegedly schemed to leave early during a March 23, 2023 game against the New Orleans Pelicans due to a foot injury. Rozier played less than 10 minutes in the game and did not return, finishing with five points and two assists. The accusation is that Rozier told co-defendant Deniro Laster he would leave the game early, and that information was sold to others, who made the “under” bets.
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Rozier, who is free on a $3 million bond, is due back in a Brooklyn federal courthouse on June 10 to face additional charges of sports bribery and honest services fraud for that March 2023 game.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Terry Rozier: Free agent forfeits 2025-26 salary amid gambling charge