Jaylen Brown strongly criticized the NBA for its handling of gambling cases. The league’s new season sparked controversy from the start. The FBI arrested three current members for participating in illegal gambling activities.
Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier, Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups, and former player Damon Jones faced arrest. Authorities claim that 31 people helped bettors or ran an illegal poker network.
Action without investigation
According to Firstsportz, Rozier and Jones are in the process of being released. Billups was freed on bail. Nevertheless, the NBA immediately suspended all three, preventing them from returning to work until their trials conclude.
Ahead of facing the Knicks tonight at MSG, Jaylen Brown is asked about the NBA’s ongoing gambling investigations and his feelings on sports gambling:
“That whole world was introduced a couple years ago, and I don’t think they took players into consideration – especially with the… pic.twitter.com/2C6ZqiOYuo— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) October 24, 2025
Brown, vice president of the players’ union, expressed strong criticism of the league. “This whole world was introduced a couple of years ago. I don’t think they considered the players, especially the energy and behavior surrounding gambling, which directly affects players. We do not benefit from any of the profits, but we have to deal with much of the negativity and additional scrutiny behind all gambling matters. On top of that, it creates more integrity issues,” Brown stated.
He believes the NBA failed to investigate the impact on players before implementing penalties. Brown suggested that the league and gambling companies benefited from the arrangement at the expense of player safety.
The question remains: does the NBA protect its players, or does it only enforce sanctions without prior investigation?
