A Star in Trouble
Terry Rozier, an NBA player, was recently arrested by federal authorities on allegations of providing inside information to bettors. The feds claim Rozier tipped off friends that he wouldn’t “cover the spread,” meaning he’d intentionally come up short of his projected stats.
Breaking Down the Bet
Now, for those who aren’t familiar with gambling: beyond picking who wins or loses, bettors can also wager on player performances — things like “Will Terry Rozier score 10 or more points?” It’s a simple yes-or-no bet.
The accusation is that Rozier told one of his friends, ahead of time, that he wasn’t going to cover because he planned to take himself out of the game.
The Fallout Begins
Sounds bad enough, right? Well, it just got worse.
Rozier’s lawyer, Jim Trusty, went on The Will Cain Show and actually said Rozier “was just confiding in a friend” — as if that makes everything OK.
“Confiding in a friend, a childhood friend, and saying, ‘Man, I’m banged up, it’s the end of the season, we’re out of the playoffs, I think I’m going to sit early in this game’ — that’s not a crime,” Trusty said. “That’s simply confiding in a friend. Whatever that friend did is not on Terry.”
The $100,000 Conversation
Rozier, 31, is accused of giving nonpublic injury information to his friend Deniro Laster before a March 2023 game, when he was still with the Charlotte Hornets.
Federal prosecutors allege that Laster took that information and sold it to bettors for roughly $100,000. Shortly after, Rozier left that game after only nine minutes.
Trusty insists the allegations are “thin” and that Rozier is simply guilty by association, not intent.
A Legal Defense Gone Wrong
But here’s the problem: why is his lawyer even talking on national television?
What case ever got dismissed because an attorney went on ESPN and made a speech?
If anything, that move makes the situation look worse.
Call It What It Is
Let’s be real — if a player tells someone who bets on games that he plans to sit early, that’s not “confiding.”
That’s insider betting. Period.
And if Rozier was hurt and his team was already out of playoff contention, why play at all? The logic doesn’t add up.
Bad Advice, Bad Optics
It amazes me how lies only make sense to the person telling them.
If I were Rozier, I’d fire that lawyer immediately — not just because the defense is weak, but because if I can’t trust him to protect me publicly, how can I trust him in the courtroom?
The Bigger Picture
This case isn’t just about one player and one bad call — it’s a cautionary tale about judgment, integrity, and who you trust to speak for you when the lights are brightest.