Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups is denying wrongdoing after being arrested by the FBI in a criminal gambling probe.
“Anyone who knows Chauncey Billups knows he is a man of integrity; men of integrity do not cheat and defraud others,” the coach’s attorney, Chris Heywood, said in a statement, according to Fox Sports.
Billups’ attorney added that the coach “has never and would never gamble on basketball games, provide insider information, or sacrifice the trust of his team and the League, as it would tarnish the game he has devoted his entire life to.”
Billups, 49, was arrested at his home in Oregon on Thursday and was among some 30 others charged in the FBI’s “Operation Royal Flush” case, which was launched during the Biden administration to track a gambling syndicate linked to organized crime.
Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier was also arrested in a separate but related illegal gambling case.
According to the New York Post, a source told them that “Billups, an NBA Hall of Famer, has been charged with partaking in an alleged illegal poker ring tied to the Bonanno, Genovese and Colombo crime families.”
The FBI claims that Billups was fully aware that the gambling crew was defrauding victims of their money “using a rigged shuffling machine.”
The Trail Blazers issued a statement after the arrest.
“We are aware of the allegations involving head coach Chauncey Billups, and the Trail Blazers are fully cooperating with the investigation,” the team said. “Billups has been placed on immediate leave, and Tiago Splitter will assume head coaching duties in the interim. Any further questions should be directed to the NBA.”
The coach was charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering and is set to be arraigned in New York on Nov. 24.
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