Are you a sports fan? Attend games? Do you bet?
The answers to those questions could factor into a potential juror’s participation in an illegal sports betting case against former NBA player Terry Rozier, if a New York court agrees to allow a prospective juror questionnaire. Rozier’s attorney pitched a one-page questionnaire to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York (EDNY) last Thursday, about a month before Rozier’s trial on charges of wire fraud conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy, sports bribery, and honest services wire fraud conspiracy.
The trial is set to begin with jury selection Nov. 2 before EDNY Judge LaShann DeArcy Hall.
Hall has not yet ruled on whether to allow the questionnaire, and EDNY prosecutors have not submitted a brief regarding the request. Hall previously indicated she was not “inclined” to use a questionnaire, but attorney David Oscar Markus wrote in the request on Rozier’s behalf, “We raise the issue here in writing because the publicity in this case is unusual and because the instrument we propose is short.”
Gambling harm among the questions
The request makes it clear that Rozier’s lawyer thinks it will be challenging to find impartial jurors for a trial involving a big-name professional athlete accused of participating in a gambling scandal. Rozier is among three major professional athletes awaiting trial on charges of sharing privileged information about games they were playing in that allowed bettors to benefit from their play. The other two are former Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz, whose dual trial is also set to begin Nov. 2 before a different judge in the EDNY’s Brooklyn courthouse.
Rozier was among 34 individuals indicted in NBA game-fixing and rigged poker conspiracies last fall. Key figures in the NBA case, Damon Jones and Marves Fairley, have pled guilty, and Jones is set to be sentenced in January.
Markus also wrote that he believes that a “meaningful share” of prospective jurors have placed sports bets, and that he is concerned that those who have lost or struggled with gambling addiction may be “hesitant” to share that information in public and may feel more comfortable with a private questionnaire.
The one-page questionnaire has 16 questions, including:
- How closely do you follow professional basketball (pick one: very closely, somewhat closely, not closely, not at all)
- Which professional basketball team is your favorite or you think of as “your” team?
- What is your opinion of legalized sports betting and the companies that offer it?
- Have you formed any opinions about the case against Terry Rozier based on anything you have read or seen?
The questionnaire also includes a group of questions around sports betting, including whether prospective jurors have ever placed online sports bets or know anyone who has. The section also has questions exploring if betting has caused a prospective juror financial or other types of harm. Prospective jurors must also reflect on whether their gambling experiences would allow them to be impartial in determining the outcome of a gambling case.
Rozier played whole career in East
Rozier never played basketball for a New York team, but he was a first-round pick by the Boston Celtics and went on to play for the Charlotte Hornets and Miami Heat. All three teams are in the Eastern Conference and played the New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets every season.
Rozier did not earn any NBA honors during his 11 seasons, but he was a valuable player signed by the Hornets to a $97 million four-year deal in 2021.
The NBA suspended Rozier in October 2025 after allegations surfaced that he altered his play so bettors could cash on prop bets tied to his performance. The Heat waived him in April. He was initially charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering, but the government added two additional charges. Prosecutors now allege Rozier got a $100,000 payoff to leave a game early as part of a plan shared with bettors. All of the charges stem from his play during Rozier’s five-year run with the Hornets.
