Sports
NBA chief Silver ‘deeply disturbed’ by illegal betting scandal
NBA commissioner Adam Silver said Friday he was “deeply disturbed” by the illegal betting and gambling that has rocked basketball.
In his first public comments since the scandal erupted Thursday, Silver said the news struck him hard — “I had a pit in my stomach. It was very upsetting.”
“My initial reaction was I was deeply disturbed,” Silver said in an interview with Amazon Prime during their coverage of the New York Knicks’ home game against the Boston Celtics on Friday.
“There’s nothing more important for the league and its fans than the integrity of the competition.”
US authorities on Thursday arrested Miami Heat player Terry Rozier and Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups as part of a nationwide investigation into sports betting and gambling.
Both were placed on indefinite leave by the NBA following the indictments.
Rozier and former NBA player Damon Jones were arrested for their alleged involvement in a betting scheme that prosecutors say provided inside information on injuries and game absences to bettors between December 2022 and March 2024.
Rozier was involved in a 2023 game when he was playing for the Charlotte Hornets where he left the game early due to a foot injury. He allegedly advised partners he would exit early, allowing them to wager heavily on him finishing below expected statistical levels in the game.
The NBA had said in January that it found no evidence Rozier violated league rules.
“We then looked into that situation,” Silver said. “And while there was that aberrational betting, we frankly couldn’t find anything.
“Terry at the time cooperated. He gave the league office his phone. He sat down for an interview and we ultimately concluded there was insufficient evidence, despite that aberrational behavior, moving forward.”
While the NBA’s probe came up empty, federal prosecutors found enough evidence for charges.
“We worked with law enforcement,” Silver said. “The league has been cooperating. That was over two years ago.
“The federal government has subpoena power. They can threaten to put people in jail. They can do all kinds of things that a league office can’t do, so we’ve been working with them since then.”
Silver noted that Rozier has not been proven guilty of anything.
“What they announced yesterday was an indictment, so 2.5 years later, he still hasn’t been convicted of anything,” Silver said.
“Obviously it doesn’t look good, but he has now been put on administrative leave and so you know there’s a balance here of protecting people’s rights and investigating.”
Billups was not named in the sports betting indictment, but was charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering over his alleged involvement in what prosecutors called rigged poker games linked to the Mafia.
Sports
Indian man arrested over alleged inappropriate conduct towards Australian women cricketers in Madhya Pradesh
Indian police have arrested a man accused of stalking and inappropriately touching two Australian cricketers participating in the ICC Women’s World Cup in Madhya Pradesh, officials said on Saturday.
The incident happened in the central Indian city of Indore on Thursday morning when the two players left their hotel to go to a cafe, a day after Australia’s six-wicket victory over England in the group stage of the World Cup, when they were allegedly approached by a motorcyclist.
“The security officers of the women’s Australian cricket team filed a complaint that two members of the team faced inappropriate behaviour,” additional deputy commissioner of police, Rajesh Dandotiya, told Indian news agency ANI.
“A FIR (first information report) was registered, and the accused was identified and arrested following an intensive strategic operation.”
He has been charged under sections 74 and 78 of the criminal code that deal with assault or using criminal force against a woman with the intent to outrage her modesty and stalking, respectively. “We are examining if there were any shortfalls in the security protocols,” Dandotiya added.
Violence against women remains a chronic issue in the world’s most populous country, where an average of nearly 90 rapes a day were reported in 2022.
Dandotiya said the 30-year-old man who was arrested has a criminal record.
The two players were not identified by Indian police or Cricket Australia, which confirmed the incident.
“The matter was reported by team security to police, who are handling the matter,” Cricket Australia said in a statement.
Board of Control for Cricket in India Secretary Devajit Saikia said it was a “deeply regrettable and isolated incident.
“We appreciate the swift and effective action taken by the Madhya Pradesh Police in apprehending the accused. The law will take its due course to ensure justice is served,” Saikia said.
“We will also review our existing safety protocols and strengthen them further, if necessary, to ensure such incidents are not repeated.”
The Times of India newspaper reported that the team’s security manager received a distress message from one of the cricketers that said “… there is a guy following us trying to grab us”.
Team officials were informed and went to their location to assist the players, the paper said.
A police patrol then escorted the players safely back to the team’s hotel.
India has made strides towards gender equality and women’s empowerment in recent years but safety for women remains a serious concern.
Sports
Cricket Australia says two Women’s World Cup members were ‘touched inappropriately’ in India: report
Two members of the Australian Women’s World Cup cricket team were reportedly “touched inappropriately” while walking in India, ABC News reported on Saturday.
In a statement, Cricket Australia said the duo were walking to a cafe in Indore when they were approached by someone on a motorcycle, the news outlet added.
India are one of the two co-hosts of the ICC Women’s World Cup, along with Sri Lanka.
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