It was in June that the NBA cleared Terry Rozier of charges of illegal gambling during his stint with the Charlotte Hornets. Yet, on Thursday morning, the FBA arrested the 31-year-old Miami Heat guard in Florida against the same charges. It was part of a slate of arrests made this morning. But in Rozier’s case, his attorney, Jim Trusty, wasn’t pleased.

In his statement about the situation, Trusty noted that they were open to cooperating with federal authorities. Moreover, he also revealed that Terry Rozier was only a “subject” but never a target in the conversations they had. The FBI only waited till the morning of the arrest to inform Rozier’s attorney of their decision. “They wanted the misplaced glory of embarrassing a professional athlete with a perp walk. That tells you a lot about the motivations in this case,” he wrote.

Trusty also feels the federal authorities aren’t operating based on actual evidence. “They appear to be taking the word of spectacularly in-credible sources rather than relying on actual evidence of wrongdoing. Terry was cleared by the NBA and these prosecutors revived that non-case. Terry is not a gambler, but he is not afraid of a fight, and he looks forward to winning this fight,” a part of the statement read.

In the FBI’s press conference, they claimed the operation has spanned multiple years. Terry Rozier will appear in front of the court sometime in the afternoon in Florida. The game that’s been particularly questioned goes back to March 2023. An influx of bets on Rozier’s unders was seen across multiple gambling websites, causing suspicion. The NBA, in its findings, did not find Rozier to be involved in the scandal.

It’s clear that his legal team feels the same way about these allegations.

A dark day for the NBA

Terry Rozier wasn’t the only star arrested on Thursday. Cleveland Cavaliers’ assistant coach Damon Jones was also charged in the same case as the Heat star. Furthermore, Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups was arrested in Oregon in relation to a poker game probe, the details of which aren’t evident yet.

It’s a truly devastating day for the NBA as a league that just witnessed an exciting slate of opening night games, allowing fans to enjoy basketball for its purity. Now, the very soul of the game is under scrutiny. Adam Silver has yet to issue any statement about the arrests made. It’s important to note that this matter doesn’t concern the NBA.

It’s an independent investigation by the federal authorities. But while a verdict is yet to be passed, the future of the people involved remains uncertain. Rozier entered his 11 season in the league, representing the Miami Heat. Billups was in his fifth year as head coach, leading the team to 36 wins last season.

As of this moment, the situation is tense. In Terry Rozier’s case, his defense maintains his innocence and will look to eradicate all of the charges, as they did during the NBA’s investigation.