‘This is fishy’: the ‘sore right foot’ that set off alarm bells for somepublished at 18:02 BST
Kwasi Gyamfi Asiedu
US reporter
Image source, NBAE via Getty ImagesThis image from the March 23 2023 game shows Terry Rozier (right, wearing the Charlotte’s number 3 jersey)
The official NBA match report from 23 March, 2023 notes Terry Rozier, then a player for the Charlotte Hornets, left the game “with a sore right foot after scoring 5 points”.
Rozier, 31, played for around only nine minutes at the game hosted by the New Orleans Pelicans. The injury set off alarm bells for some in the sports betting world and is now at the heart of federal illegal sports betting allegations against Rozier, who is now on Miami Heat’s roster.
US officials allege Rozier tanked his performance by feigning that injury and told others about his plan before the game so that they could place winning bets worth thousands of dollars on his performance. “The proceeds were later delivered to his home, where the group counted their cash,” New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said.
One X account suggested his short-lived appearance on court was suspicious. “This is fishy,” the sports betting account posted on 23 March. “No notice of an injury, or anything wrong all day long. Then, he only plays in [first quarter] and exits with an ‘injury’… This one doesn’t feel right.”
That same day, another X account asked a betting company to void bets placed on Rozier for that game and suggested betting companies were in on the act. “What a scam,” the post said.
Earlier this year, the NBA says it was alerted to that incident for “unusual betting activity” but their internal investigation “did not find a violation of NBA rules”.
An attorney for Rozier says his client denies the allegations and will fight the legal charges against him.
Image source, Getty ImagesFirst Appeared on
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