NBA, Hornets request no-contact order for Rozier remains

The NBA and the Charlotte Hornets informed federal prosecutors of their preference for veteran guard Terry Rozier to continue being prohibited from contacting current and former members of the Hornets while he remains out on bond and awaits trial on four charges. These charges stem from a federal investigation into alleged NBA gambling and insider information trading.

Last week, a federal judge asked the league to weigh in as she considered whether to remove these bond restrictions at the request of Rozier and his lawyer, who argued that the conditions hindered Rozier's ability to potentially play in the NBA again. On Monday, an attorney for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York presented to Judge LaShann DeArcy Hall a legal filing asserting that the NBA supports maintaining the current terms.

Jim Trusty, Rozier’s lawyer, claimed that these terms would prevent his client from resuming his NBA career, as he could not take the court against the Hornets while they remained on the no-contact list established by federal prosecutors. This list includes current and former coaches, as well as others. The Miami Heat had previously been on this no-contact list but were removed after waiving Rozier on April 10.

According to a legal filing by an Eastern District attorney, the NBA conveyed to federal prosecutors that should Rozier be allowed to play in NBA games again, he could "be in a position to interact with potential witnesses in or around the arena, both before and after games."

Federal prosecutors disclosed that Rozier had already contacted someone on the no-contact list and stated they were investigating "credible allegations" that "at least one co-defendant, potentially acting on Mr. Rozier’s behalf, has contacted witnesses regarding the case."

Judge Hall has not indicated when she would make her ruling. Rozier was arrested in October and charged in connection with a sports gambling scheme that allegedly utilized insider information regarding NBA games and players for profit. Following his arrest, the NBA placed him on leave, and he did not participate in the past season.

The 32-year-old Rozier faced two charges in the fall, with two additional charges added last month in a superseding indictment. Authorities allege that Rozier agreed to take a $100,000 payment to withdraw himself early from a March 2023 Hornets game, allowing a group of gamblers to bet on his prop bets. He now confronts charges of sports bribery and honest services fraud, to which he has pleaded not guilty. The trial is scheduled to begin in February 2027.

Two men charged alongside him, Marves Fairley and former NBA player Damon Jones, have already pleaded guilty.

Trusty criticized the NBA’s actions, claiming they violated the presumption of innocence, stating that they should be ashamed and that their efforts to restrict Rozier from playing basketball contradicted his rights. He also noted that these bond conditions have led to consequences, as an arbitrator determined Rozier wouldn’t receive the majority of his $26.6 million salary for the 2025-26 season due to an inability to fulfill his NBA contract resulting from these restrictions. Rozier was in the last year of a four-year, $96.26 million contract when the indictment occurred.