June 05, 2026
Terry Rozier loses his entire $26.6 million salary after an arbitrator rules he breached his contract with the Miami Heat over gambling scandal involvement.
Terry Rozier is losing his entire $26.6 million paycheck for the 2025-26 season after an arbitrator sided with the Miami Heat over his contract dispute.
The ruling is connected to his alleged involvement in a sprawling federal sports gambling scheme that’s been unraveling since his October arrest.
According to the arbitrator’s decision, Rozier violated his contractual obligations to perform for the team, and the conditions of his pretrial release made it impossible for him to fulfill those duties.
Here’s where it gets worse. Rozier’s been hit with new federal charges for sports bribery and a conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud, on top of his original wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy charges.
Prosecutors say he accepted a $100,000 bribe to exit a March 2023 game early while playing for the Charlotte Hornets, tipping off a group of bettors about his plan to leave due to an injury.
Each of his original charges carries up to 20 years in prison, and federal prosecutors estimate he’ll receive roughly 2 years when he’s sentenced.
He’s pleaded not guilty to everything and is scheduled for arraignment on the new charges next week.
The pretrial release conditions that triggered the arbitration ruling prohibited Rozier from contacting any personnel with the Heat or Hornets, including players, coaches, and medical staff.
His attorney, Jim Trusty, filed a motion asking the court to remove the Hornets from his no-contact list so Rozier could participate in free agency this month.
Without that change, Trusty argued, Rozier would be unable to sign with any NBA team, thereby constituting another breach of his contract.
The Heat initially paid Rozier his full salary after the arbitrator ruled the league couldn’t place him on unpaid leave, but the team quickly reversed course and stopped making payments, leading to a second arbitration hearing in April.
According to NBC News, the arbitrator ultimately sided with the Heat’s position that Rozier breached his obligations.
Rozier’s arraignment on the new charges is scheduled for next week in Brooklyn federal court.
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