First Take reacts to Chauncey Billups & Terry Rozier arrests in FBI gambling investigation

Shams Charania, Monica McNutt, Jay Williams and Vincent Goodwill join Stephen A. Smith on First Take to detail and react to the breaking news that Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier were arrested Thursday as part of a pair of investigations related to illegal gambling.

0:00 Stephen A. sets the scene
1:06 FBI director Kash Patel’s press conference
2:30 Shams details
4:27 Could more people be involved?
5:39 Jay Williams’ initial thoughts
7:40 Monica McNutt’s reaction
8:50 Vincent Goodwill’s thoughts
10:44 Shams drops a note on the unknown
11:54 Stephen A.’s thoughts
15:56 More coming?
19:43 Trajectory of sports leagues
21:37 “Stain on the league”

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This morning has seen a ton of breaking news in the National Basketball Association. Trailblazers head coach Chanty Bilips and Miami Heat guard Terry Roier were arrested as part of FBI investigations into sports gambling. Bilup’s arrest was part of a separate but related case linked to an illegal poker operation tied to the mafia. ABC News is reporting. At the core of Roier’s arrest is a March 2023 game that saw an uptick of Roier bets come in on the under. Roier left the game just 9 minutes in, citing a foot injury. Roier had previously not been accused of any wrongdoing. Also involved in this, former Cavaliers player and assistant coach Damon Jones, who was also arrested on charges that he provided inside information about NBA games to co-defendants. FBI director Cash Patel announced the arrest. Take a listen. As you now know, individuals such as Chanty Bilips, Damon Jones, and Terry Rosier were taken into custody today. former current NBA players and coaches. What you don’t know is that this is an illegal gambling operation and sports rigging operation that spanned the course of years. The FBI led a coordinative takedown across 11 states to arrest over 30 individuals today responsible for this case, which is very much ongoing. Not only did we crack into the fraud that these perpetrators committed on the grand stage of the NBA, but we also entered and executed a system of justice against Laasanosra to include the Bonano, Gambino, Genevvesi, and Luchesi crime families. And the fraud is mind-boggling. It’s not hundreds of dollars. It’s not thousands of dollars. It’s not tens of thousands of dollars. It’s not even millions of dollars. We’re talking about tens of millions of dollars in fraud and theft and robbery across a multi-year investigation. Ladies and gentlemen, I see a lot of press conferences, stuff like that. I’ve seen a lot of things in sports. I don’t see the the director of the FBI in attendance, but he was there just now. Sean Shirania joining us right now, our ultimate NBA insider. Sean, welcome to the show. What more can you tell us? Cash Patel right there. He actually has been even more involved in the last few weeks. But this is an investigation that’s been going on for at least two years. Terry Rosier has been investigated by the FBI for sports gambling, illegal sports betting uh involvement. Uh and so he was arrested today. Uh a note here, the NBA had actually cleared him before, but now he is uh obviously arrested, taken into custody. Chanty Bilips was arrested this morning. both are sitting coach or player, right? So, Chanty Bos was literally coaching an NBA game last night in Portland, a loss to Minnesota, and he was arrested this morning at 6:00 a.m. in Portland. Terros was on the Miami Heat bench last night in Orlando. He was then arrested in an Orlando hotel at 6:00 a.m. And for Chanty Bilips, his involvement, like you just said, Stephen A, was because of illegal uh poker operation tied to the mafia. And so the one person that was involved in both was Damon Jones, the former NBA player and coach. And so this is something that the FBI has been targeting, has been investigating for the last couple years. And I think there’s just shock around the NBA. This is seismic. We’ve never seen a sitting NBA head coach, a sitting NBA player both arrested uh at the same time obviously, but specifically with Chanty Bilips here, we’ll get a better feel as the day goes on just how wide ranging this goes, but he was involved in in a 30 defendant case uh in an illegal poker rigging activity tied to the mafia. Charms, have we gotten have we received any indication at all that more more people are going to be named, more pe more arrests are coming down the pike? So there could be some surrender, Stephen, like there could be more people that just get uncovered based on these 30 plus arrests today. So who cooperates with the FBI? Who else gives more information to the FBI out of these 30 plus defendants? So surely there it might not be today, but there could be more moving forward. But as of today, there were three arrests and that’s Terry Rosir, Chanty Bilips, and Damon Jones all tied to the NBA. Right. So there’s obviously 30 plus in total, but is specifically to the NBA. Like Cash Patel just said, the three most public arrests were those three individuals. And so there are none beyond that right now that that are tied to this. There could be more. One name of a player that has been investigated in a similar sports betting investigation by the FBI was Malik Beasley, but I’m told he was not arrested. He was not involved. His attorney, Steve Haney, told me today that he wasn’t involved in this situation, and he has not cooperated with either the Rosier case, the Chanty Bilips case, or the Damon Jones case. So, he has not arrested in this, but surely there might be more. But as of right now, Chanty Bilips, Terry Rosier, and Damon Jones. Hey, Williams, let’s start with you. your reaction. Um, it’s a it’s a lot to absorb. Um, you know, obviously this is part of a a larger sting operation, right, with the M family. So, um, you know, you look at Chanty, you look at Terry, you look at Damon Pawns on the chess board compared to the the bigger play here by the FBI. But obviously, Cash Patel, FBI director making this announcement. You know, over 30 individuals in 11 states is is a is a monstrous thing. Um, never have we had a sitting head coach be involved uh in something like this. I think it’s a stain on the NBA in a massive way. Uh, new media rights deal that just came out. Uh, this is a a really big embarrassment for the league. having a a player, a former assistant, um, and obviously a guy like Chanty be involved, um, makes it have feel as if it’s a bigger, it’s a way bigger challenge and issue for the league. I I I will say this, um, essay, you and I have had conversations about this. Um, this is not to excuse anybody’s behavior, but I do think it’s important to give context to people at home just about how this lifestyle is lived. I’ve seen guys lose 200 grand on our plane ride. Um, I’ve seen friends gamble in highstake poker games. Um, a lot of things that happened in Vegas, even though I know it’s illegal, happen behind closed doors in these communities. Um it it it’s an ongoing thing. Now I I can’t condone giving out information to friends. I do hear conversations that happen all the time um about hey I I hear player X is hurt. Yep. Not saying it’s correct. Just things that always happen. He’s hurt and then your boy goes out makes a bet on it. Um so I I just I want to lay that out there to set the table. It doesn’t inexcuse any of it, but it is a part of the lifestyle that I think people don’t openly talk as much about. I think that’s good context. Jay, I will say this cuz we were together when the Jonte Porter news came down last year on First Take. Yes, we were. That did involve the FBI and we saw what the penalty was. That’s right. And so, as someone who loved that Detroit Piston squad that Chanty Bilip was on, has really enjoyed him as a head coach. I hope there is some layer of this. That is not what it seems this morning. But I it if Jonte Porter was banned and there was no FBI involvement, I am saddened by what would seem would be the next step in this case. But The Athletic just put out a great article. We always know they talk they do their anonymous NBA sort of poll. One of the topics this year was gambling. And it ranged from players being very candid. One anonymous quote said, “It’s like knowing you have an it’s like telling someone not to do something but putting it right in front of them.” And they were very candid about the relationship and the partnerships that the league is in when it comes to gambling. And then there’s a bunch of players who said it’s more money for everybody and ultimately that’s in our pocket. But I’ve always been cautious of the relationship that the league now has. Dante Bird thing though, the FBI was involved just just they were they were involved just so you know. Go ahead. It’s I think that’s the important thing for us to point out here is that the NBA all the broadcasters have been looking for various ways to increase revenue over the past several years and Vegas has been with open arms or gambling not just Vegas itself like Vegas has the markers that catches these things. the NBA, they only have so many resources that can catch gambling when it happens on prop bets and everything else. Like they don’t they only know but so much. I think Chanty Bilips as someone who was recently enshrined as a Hall of Famer, as someone that that Stephen A and I both know really well, got a lot of love for him. This is something that shocks us. This is utterly shocking this morning. Like I was in college in Michigan when those 2004 team, you know, came and how beloved Chanty Bilips was in particular as the leader, as the mature person. But when you start talking about the mob, that’s where it gets scary cuz you don’t know cuz here’s the thing. It’s so vague, Jay. You have no idea how overt, how direct the connection is. I want to be very careful to not directly connect dots because it’s not like Chanty went straight from the floor to being a head coach. So then we can say that Chanty was doing this or doing we don’t know. We have no idea. We have no idea. So I want us to let the due process of this play out. Remember in 2017 Stephen A basketball was hit where Adidas and a lot of people got accused of stuff but only a handful actually went to jail. So, it’s one of those things you have to say be careful about rushing to conclusions. It just doesn’t look good on it. Lumping names together. Exactly. You just got to be careful. It doesn’t look good at all. Um I’m glad Shams is still here as well. I appreciate everybody. I’m going to separate everybody. Stephen, Stephen, go. Yeah, I do. You know, as as Vinnie just said, like, you know, there’s there there’s a lot of unknown here. How much knowledge did Chanty Bilips have about that this was he was a part of a mafia ring operation? But the indictments do say that this was part of cheating rigging poker games. So allegedly knowingly cheating and rigging these poker games. What is able to be proven? We we have the indictments. I’m going through them. They’re obviously very lengthy. But that is at the essence of what Johny Phillips is being accused for. separate from Terry Rosier who’s being alleged for sports betting, gambling, prop bets, things of that sort and giving information to other defendants and co co-conspirators. And then Damon Jones is the one person that was actually wrapped into both cases that one was charged with giving information uh giving stuff to the defendants and co-conspirators, but also involved in a cheating, rigging, gambling ring operation tied to the mafia. I want to shield and I want to look into the camera and look into the eyes of America and shield everybody on this set away from where what I’m about to say. This is coming from me. We all know when we’re talking about gambling, just so you know, in calendar year 2024, Americans wagered approximately 141 147.9 billion through regulated sports books. According to the American Gaming Association, as of August of this year, Americans wagered an estimated 84 billion with illegal bookies and offshore sports books in the past year. We know about how the world of gaming and gambling has ingratiated itself within the world of sports and vice versa. And we all understand like we talk about the the poker games and all of this other stuff. You may not have known any kind of mild connection or anything like that. We got that part. But there’s a macro perspective that everybody has to pay attention to. And this is where I come in. We’re sitting on here on the sports show doing first take. We all know what other stuff that I do. We know what world that I live in in terms of politics. How many times for one incident after another have I said Trump is coming? He’s coming. I’m gonna say it on national television again. Bad Bunny is is is is performing at the Super Bowl and all of a sudden you hearing ICE is going to be there looking to engage in mass deportations. The Super Bowl disrupting things. Big night for the NBA when Biana put on a show that has now been smeared because we’re talking about this story. Okay, remember Trump has a long, long history connected to the world of sports because he had those casinos. Where do you think folks will come in half the time? I’m not talking about individuals. I’m talking about the culture. When people want to want want to go to a casino, when people want to gamble, when people want to party or whatever the case may be, this is his kind of connection to that. Why am I glad you’re here, Monica? Because don’t be surprised if the WNBA is next on his list. Because when you’ve got all of these protests that have been going out there and people that have been protesting against him and what have you, this man is coming. He’s coming. And I’ve been saying it for a long time. And to me, this is the latest nugget of evidence that we’re talking about right here. That’s not to question the legitimacy of the case. We don’t know. We’re all sitting up here and we’re saying that we don’t know. But anybody that has been around him, anybody that has talked to him, anybody that has seen his reactions from the sports leagues and the positions that people have taken, they are not surprised at what’s going on today. I’m watching a press conference with the director of the FBI. Tell me when we’ve seen that. We’ve seen people We’ve seen accusations before. We’ve seen athletes get in trouble with the law before. You don’t see the director of the FBI having a press conference. It’s not coincidental. It’s not an accident. It’s a statement and it’s a warning that more is coming. And that’s what they’re saying here. And everybody better get I’m just telling you it’s it’s it’s it’s serious as it gets. This ain’t the platform for me to get into it the way I’m going to get into it. But I’ve been saying he’s coming. He’s coming because in his eyes, folks try to throw him in jail. In his eyes, he’s innocent. They try to put me behind bars. I’m getting everybody. He’s not playing. And so this in a lot of people’s eyes, talk to people in the NBA, talk to people in the NFL, talk to people in the world of sports, they think this is like the tip of the iceberg. These are the kind of words that are coming out of people mouth. It’s not a surprise. It’s very disheartening. It’s very concerning. We don’t know where this is going to go, but this is just the tip of the iceberg. Everybody’s better to brace themselves because he’s coming. I heard last night, Stephen, that Cash Patel was involved in this and was leading this. And as I was getting and gathering more information, uh that just let me know how big and how massive this all is for not only the government, but for sports leagues, for the NBA. When I heard Cash Patel, the FBI director, is the one leading the press conference. This is not just the Eastern District of New York. This is not just a small uh investigation, but this has been going on, Stephen A, at least on some local level since 2023. So, this has been going on for at least a few years that the that at least law enforcement has been pursuing this. But yes, the FBI now being involved, that to me, when I heard that last night was a little jarring. essay to your point uh the the timing of of all of it uh the second day of the NBA season it’s an exchange of power also that everybody’s on notice. Yes, you’re exactly right. And by the way, from somebody who pays attention to a lot of politics and finances as you know as well, we talk about this. There are billions of dollars being floated in our in our world uh that are worth reporting on that are illegal dollars. Um tens of millions of dollars is a lot of money. Compare it to billions of dollars. It’s not that amount of money. This is a statement. This is a massive statement. I would agree with your sentiment. Listen, they’re talking about they’re already talking about you’ve got Christy Nos of the Department of Homeland Security looking forward to folks coming to the Super Bowl, you know, to come watch Bad Buddy so they they they can grab some folks. She said this. She has said this. We see what’s happening here. You hear people, why would you why would I bring up the WNBA? Because these marvelous athletes for females who articulate themselves very well in their positions, you understand, cogently, fluently, etc. Oh, that’s been disturbing to that administration as well because anybody who doesn’t fall in line, march lock, step with them, agree with them, etc., um, he has a problem with it and he doesn’t mind inconveniencing anything. We got to wonder wonder what the owners and what they know about some of this stuff because some of these owners have known him for years. NFL and NBA, they don’t they know who he is. They’ve talked to him. Some of them have relationships with him. They’re not caught by surprise. There’s a palpable fear, a palpable alarm because you know who he is and he’s coming. And I, you know, everybody looked at me and I kept saying, “Yo, y’all, he ain’t he’s coming.” When you do as many appearances as I’ve done, when you’ve talked as much politics as I’ve talked, you hear this kind of stuff. And you hear it. He’s coming, Stephen. He’s coming. This is This is just the beginning. Unfortunately, the NFL, the NBA, the WNBA, and Lord knows who else. As a matter of fact, we’re sitting here right now and the only folks we feel are safe in the in the world of sports is the UFC because obviously he has a great relationship with Dana White. That’s about it. Just be careful. Just beware. Go ahead, Monica. No, no. I I think it’s tough. No, no. I And I think there’s an offline conversation for us to have. Um I to be to acknowledge the climate that we are in is fair is wise to believe that sports are going to be absolved from all that’s happening. I get that. Um this is this is super disappointing. Now if all that you have pointed out does come to fruition, where does that leave the leagues leave the leagues? I guess is what is my question. That’s a legitimate question and and in fairness to you, the point that needs to be made is that the people who have their complaints are justified in their complaints. You know, if you don’t vibe with his with their ideology, that is perfectly within your right. We have that right as American citizens to be that way. There is no doubt about that. The flip side to it is being mindful and cognizant of what the reaction and the fallout is going to be when that happens. And this situation right here with these sports leagues, we don’t know how prepared they are. I believe Adam Silva is prepared. I believe the owners in the league are prepared. I believe Roger Goodell is prepared. I believe the owners in the NFL are prepared. But nevertheless, he’s telling you in advance and oh, by the way, there’s a midterm election coming. So, a lot of stuff that he wants to do, he wants to do now because he may lose the midterms. The GOP may lose the midterms. And if that happens, where is that going to leave him? So while you’re in complete power, you want to do whatever it is that you want to do. So what is it that he’s going to want to do? That remains to be seen, but we’re having an indication because we’re sitting here today talking about the biggest story in sports right now this morning and there’s no way around it. There’s no way around. Can I close the loop for a second? Sure. I I know obviously we’re a sports show so names like John Cy Bops and Terry Rosier and Damon Jones are going to be huge. Uh just, you know, make no miss about it. the Gambino family and some of these other those are larger stories. That’s right. Okay. Way larger stories. Much larger. So to close the loop on this conversation, if we watch what happened to Porter and we’re just saying, hey, it’s guilty by association. The the the re the fact that it was announced by this magnitude. Yes. It’s been made this big, right? I don’t know all the details. We’re still finding out more information. But this type of stand on the leak, I don’t know how you What does it tell y’all? I I don’t know how you separate that. How you keep I give you the last word. I give you the last word. I got a headache. I I I do. I give you the last word. What does it say to you that the director of the FBI has a press conference? This is not some superstars in the league that I’m saying. We’re talking about a head coach for the Portland Trailblazers and and and a role player in Terry Roier and a former player and a former assistant in Damon Jones. And all their names are being together. press conferences being held with the FBI director and you’re mentioning mob families along the way. It it is disheartening I guess and a little scary that the morning after the let’s say the debut of this NBA season these things are strategically planned out when you have investigations that land this long like Ter is being investigated for over two years. We’ve known that. And they make this announcement today on on Thursday after the league is basking in the whole family. Scary stuff, man. They’re not. They don’t even It pale in comparison. Yes. Sean Shirani, I appreciate the great work as always, my man. Thank you so much. Appreciate you guys. Wow. Got to move on.