US media: Rozier can continue to receive a salary of $26.6 million during his suspension
6686 Sports, October 25 According to previous reports, Heat player Rozier, Trail Blazers coach Billups and former NBA player Damon Jones were arrested for illegal investment competitions.
US media RealGM published an article today: Rozier will continue to receive a salary of US$26.6 million during his suspension, which is in accordance with the relevant provisions of the NBA labor agreement. The league must first determine whether Rozier violated league rules before deciding whether to suspend or ban him; once suspended, his contract payments with the Miami Heat will immediately end.
Rozier was arrested on Thursday morning in connection with a federal investigation into illegal investment competition. He was also arrested along with Trail Blazers coach Billups. Rozier remained on the Heat's bench for Wednesday's season opener and was released on $6 million bail during a court hearing Thursday. The 30-year-old player was charged with "conspiracy to commit wire fraud" and "conspiracy to commit money laundering". The maximum sentence for each count is 20 years.
According to Appendix F-7 of the NBA Labor Agreement, players who have been administratively suspended are not allowed to play in games, but they can still receive salary and benefits. Therefore, Rozier's salary will continue to be paid until Commissioner Silver determines whether he violated league rules. The league's unified player contract gives Silver the power: If a player is found to be involved in illegal investment in NBA competitions, he can be suspended or even banned for life. The NBA operations manual also prohibits players from disclosing inside information to outsiders.
If Rozier is suspended, his salary will be suspended immediately and his contract will be removed from the Heat's salary cap. According to Spotrac data, the Heat's current total payroll is US$186 million, which is US$1.6 million below the luxury tax line.
In April 2024, Silver banned Joetay Porter for life for participating in the same illegal investment competition. Porter pleaded guilty in court three months later. It is worth noting that before the federal charges emerged, Rozier was found to have no evidence of violation by an internal NBA investigation.
