House Committee Presses NBA on Alleged Gambling Misconduct
house-committee-presses-nba-on-alleged-gambling-misconduct
WASHINGTON, D.C. — NBA representatives met with staff members of the U.S. House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee on Wednesday, Nov. 5, to address a string of gambling-related accusations involving league personnel.
League lawyers and a gambling consultant spent under an hour behind closed doors answering questions from congressional lawyers and aides. Committee staff sought details on the criminal charges pending against Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier, Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups, and former player and coach Damon Jones, among others.
According to people familiar with the session, lawmakers asked how the NBA plans to prevent individuals from profiting off non-public information, what the league’s Code of Conduct currently bans, and whether the scandals have prompted a reevaluation of the NBA’s lucrative partnerships with sports-betting operators. Additional document requests are expected.
A bipartisan group on the Senate Commerce Committee has separately demanded a written briefing covering similar topics. Senators Ted Cruz and Maria Cantwell, the panel’s ranking member and chair, respectively, also questioned why Rozier was cleared by the league while a federal probe that later produced criminal charges was still active.
“The integrity of NBA games must be trustworthy and free from the influence of organized crime or gambling-related activity,” Cruz and Cantwell said in a joint statement, warning that betting scandals could erode public confidence in all professional sports.
A league official recently told journalist Pablo Torre that the NBA found no wrongdoing by Rozier but never formally closed its investigation.
The House committee previously sent a letter to the NCAA after college sports leaders said athletes and coaches could wager on professional events.
Neither NBA commissioner Adam Silver nor deputy commissioner Mark Tatum attended Wednesday’s meeting, ESPN insider Marc Stein reported.
Source: Hoops Rumors
