An arbitrator on Monday ruled in favor of Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier in a salary dispute with the NBA that arose after he was federally indicted in a gambling investigation, sources told ESPN.
Rozier’s salary, which had been held in escrow since December, will be released after the arbitrator found that under the terms of the collective bargaining agreement, players cannot be put on unpaid leave other than in cases of domestic abuse or child abuse, sources familiar with the ruling said.
“Terry won today under principles of contract law and the Collective Bargaining Agreement between the league and the players, but the bigger principle at issue is the presumption of innocence,” said Rozier’s attorney Jim Trusty in a statement. “Today’s arbitration ruling reminds the NBA that they can’t ignore that important concept just because it’s a high-profile case.”
The Heat and NBA agreed to put Rozier’s salary for the 2025-26 season in escrow after Rozier was arrested and indicted in October as part of a federal gambling investigation that also led to charges against Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups.
The NBPA appealed the agreement to withhold his salary, which is approximately $26.6 million.
“We are pleased with the arbitrator’s ruling and remain committed to ensuring Terry’s due process rights are protected and that he is afforded the presumption of innocence throughout this process,” a spokesperson for the National Basketball Players Association said in a statement to ESPN.
ESPN has reached out to the NBA for comment.
Rozier pleaded not guilty to conspiracy charges of wire fraud and money laundering. His attorneys filed a motion to dismiss the case in December, citing government overreach. The government’s response to that motion is due today.
Federal prosecutors allege Rozier told an associate he would remove himself early in a March 2023 game, when he was with the Charlotte Hornets. Rozier’s associate then allegedly sold the information to gamblers, who proceeded to bet more than $200,000 on the under on Rozier’s statistics in the game.
Rozier remains on the Heat’s roster but has not appeared this season.
