In the wake of Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier’s arrest for alleged illegal gambling, his team is standing behind him. Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra and center Bam Adebayo both spoke out in support of Rozier ahead of a matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies.
“You never want to see something like that happen,” Adebayo said on Friday, via the Miami Herald’s Anthony Chiang. “For us, as a team, we stand behind him, full support. And like I said, the biggest thing for us is keep praying for him, keep cheering for him behind the scenes and going out here to win games and change the narrative.”
Spoelstra told reporters that the Heat held a team meeting Thursday after news broke to speak about the issue, but that they are trying to move forward as the NBA regular season gets underway.
“You’re left with no other choice,” Spoelstra said, via the Herald. “The league doesn’t wait. It doesn’t stop for you. … If you’ve been around long enough in this league, you have to learn how to compartmentalize and to focus on the most immediate thing.”
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The Heat won their first game of the season, blowing out the Grizzlies 146-114.
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Rozier was arrested as part of a sweeping gambling investigation conducted by the FBI that also led to the arrest of Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups, and former player and coach Damon Jones.
Jones and Rozier’s arrests were connected with an investigation specifically targeting illegal betting activity in the NBA. Billups, whose arrest was mostly related to illegal poker games, was not named in the indictment connected to Rozier’s arrest, but matches the description of a co-conspirator.
Rozier joined the Heat last season after five years with the Charlotte Hornets. The alleged illegal activity from Rozier came while the guard was with the Hornets, per the FBI’s indictment.
“I mean, obviously we can’t comment on the situation, but Terry is somebody who is very dear to all of us,” Spoelstra said Friday, via the Herald. “He’s had a real positive impact on our locker room … We send our thoughts and our care for him as he goes through this.”
“You support him, through and through,” Adebayo said, via the Herald. “That’s our brother at the end of the day. It felt kind of weird in him not being here, actually, because he’s usually the first person I get to talk to in the morning, and he brings that great energy to our team. So, for us, it’s uplifting that, and also playing through the noise.”