Terry Rozier is in a pickle, as fellow NBA players and he have been implicated in different corruption cases.

As prominent sports insiders, Rozier, Jontay Porter, and others have been accused of having leaked non-publicly disclosed information to sports gamblers, one of whom recently received a two-year sentence.

For his part, Rozier has maintained his innocence and has refuted claims that he may have been somehow involved. Porter wasn't as lucky, though, and he was banned from the game for life more than a year ago - he is still awaiting sentencing.

Rozier is now also going to collect his $26.6 m salary after an arbitrator ruled that there is no reason why the player should be withheld his due payment.

Innocent until proven guilty

Rozier was able to argue his case through the Collective Bargaining Agreement between the league and its players, leaning heavily into the "presumption of innocence" angle, which makes sense.

However, Rozier is suspected of having shared information with an undisclosed number of sports gamblers, which could have resulted in thousands of dollars from the information trading.

Despite the ongoing proceedings against Rozier and the fact that Jontay Porter and another person were already found guilty, the Miami Heat guard will collect his pay package. In a statement shared with ESPN, the National Basketball Players Association confirmed the development and said:

"We are pleased with the arbitrator’s ruling and remain committed to ensuring Terry’s due process rights are protected and that he is afforded the presumption of innocence throughout this process."

Rozier’s case came to a head in October, when the player was arrested, along with 30 other people, some of whom were NBA insiders, including Portland coach Chauncey Billups.

The FBI insists that Rozier conspired with others to help them win bets on his own performance in games. Gamblers would place "under" bets, wagering that the player would perform below a certain threshold, which Rozier would then ensure on the court by holding back.

Rozier's defense argues that a private case has been unduly made federal

The offenses date back to 2023, investigators argue. Rozier was indeed investigated due to a game against the New Orleans Pelicans when he played for the Charlotte Hornets, but the NBA did not find any evidence of foul play and did not press further charges.

Rozier is currently out on a $3m bail bond, and he is due to return to court in March. His defense has asked for the case to be dismissed because the government has chosen to take a private dispute concerning sports bettors’ use of non-public information and turn it into a federal case.

Rozier’s case is reportedly associated with that of Porter, and back in September, it was confirmed that looking into Rozier was prompted by the preceding investigation into Porter.

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