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Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., was excited about the start of the Portland Trail Blazers’ new season, but just one day after the team’s first game, the team is mired in controversy following an FBI investigation.
Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups, along with Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and former NBA guard Damon Jones, were among more than two dozen arrests as part of a wide-ranging FBI investigation Thursday. Billups was allegedly involved in a nationwide poker ring involving members of the La Cosa Nostra crime families.
Wyden, who loves basketball and played at UC Santa Barbara in the 1960s, was as surprised as the rest of the sports fans when he heard the news, especially since it impacted his home team.
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Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., puts on a Portland Trail Blazers-themed Rip City cap at the Hart Building on Thursday, Aug. 4, 2022. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc)
“I will tell you, this is a very sad day for all of us as sports fans,” Wyden told reporters when asked about his opinion on the investigation. He did not expand to make further comments.
Joseph Nocella, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, said during the investigation’s announcement Thursday that the alleged conspirators in the poker takedown targeted victims known as “fish” who were lured by giving them the opportunity to play alongside former professional athletes like Billups. Those athletes were known as “face cards.”
HOW CHAUNCEY BILLUPS AND DAMON JONES WERE USED TO FORCE VICTIMS TO PARTICIPATE IN ILLEGAL POKER GAMES
Nocella added that the “fish” did not know that the “figures” were part of the plan.
As for the sports betting side of the investigation, Nocella said schemers allegedly received non-public information about who would be sitting out future games or when they would withdraw early due to injury or illness.
Nocella raised one specific case, when Jontay Porter, a former Toronto Raptors player, received a lifetime ban from the NBA and pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud as part of a game plan last year.
US Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) leaves a Senate Democratic meeting at the US Capitol Building on October 3, 2025 in Washington, DC. The federal government shut down early Wednesday after Congress and the White House failed to reach a funding agreement. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
“In one case, they obtained their information by threatening a current player, Porter, because of his pre-existing gambling debts,” Nocella said, referring to the La Cosa Nostra crime families. “The defendants used this information to place hundreds of thousands of dollars in fraudulent bets, primarily in the form of prop bets on an individual player’s performance.
“The defendants relied on a network of fake bettors to place the maximum number of bets to increase their potential winnings. The majority of these bets were successful and the anticipated losses were in the millions of dollars. The defendants then laundered their illegal profits in a variety of ways.”
The Blazers released a statement about Billups later Thursday.
“We are aware of the allegations involving head coach Chauncey Billups and the Trail Blazers are cooperating fully 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 additional questions should be directed to the NBA.”
US Senator Ron Wyden speaks at the rally to say NO to tax breaks for billionaires and corporations at the US Capitol on April 10, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Jemal Condesa/Getty Images)
The NBA, which cooperated in the investigation, placed Billups and Rozier on immediate absence status.
“We are in the process of reviewing the federal indictments announced today,” the league said. “Terry Rozier and Chauncey Billups will be immediately released from their teams and we will continue to cooperate with the relevant authorities. We take these allegations with the utmost seriousness and the integrity of our game remains our top priority.”
