Terry Rozier’s attorney Jim Trusty dismissed federal allegations that his client faked an injury to facilitate illegal sports betting, arguing Rozier lost money from his shoe endorsement deal by missing games at the end of the 2022-23 season.
The federal indictment alleges Rozier informed co-defendant De’Niro Laster he would prematurely remove himself from a March 23, 2023 game in the first quarter due to a supposed injury. Rozier exited that Charlotte Hornets-New Orleans Pelicans contest and missed the final eight games of the season.
Trusty appeared Tuesday on The Will Cain Show on Fox News to defend his client against the charges unsealed last week.
“This indictment actually suggests that he faked the injury, which is absurd. People knew about it. Medical people knew about it. Staff knew about it. Friends knew about it,” Trusty said. “And so when he sat that game and the next five or six games to end the season, he actually lost money.”
Trusty told Front Office Sports that Rozier’s shoe contract was pro-rated based on games played. He said Rozier “lost a significant amount of money by sitting out the last 5-6 games of that season.”
Rozier had a shoe deal with Puma through the end of the 2022-23 season, though financial details remain undisclosed. He wore Nike shoes exclusively the following season before switching to Skechers for most of last season.
When asked directly whether Rozier provided inside information for illegal betting purposes, Trusty responded emphatically.
“Yes, that’s an easy one to answer. It’s an absolute not. Never happened,” Trusty said. “I think the prosecution basically knows it, but they liked the idea of having him as a trophy in this case to kind of mirror the bigger case with Chauncey Billups.”
The indictment lists eight separate betting instances on Rozier unders totaling $265,300 in wagers. It remains unclear whether Rozier received any money from the alleged scheme.
The indictment states defendants Marves Fairley and Laster counted money at Rozier’s Charlotte home on April 1, 2023.