Congress has given NBA commissioner Adam Silver a deadline to address recent gambling scandals that have touched the league.
This week, it was reported that over 30 individuals, including Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat player Terry Rozier, were arrested amid federal gambling investigations. The sports-betting scandal spans 11 states, with alleged participants being accused of participating in illegal (and rigged) mafia-connected gambling, as well as trading in confidential league information in order to win sports bets.
Commissioner Silver, who's been in his position for eleven years, is now being asked by Congress to deliver a briefing on the arrests of Billups and Rozier, according to an official letter.
"These allegations raise serious concerns about sports betting and the integrity of sport in the NBA, which harms fans and legal sports bettors," reads the letter, written by six Congresspeople, including Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Brett Guthrie.
The letter also cites a statement Silver made on the Tuesday (October 21) episode of the The Pat McAfee Show, where the Commissioner called for "more regulation" around sports-betting markets.
“I wish there was federal legislation rather than state by state. I think you’ve got to monitor the amount of promotion, the amount of advertising around it," he stated on the episode.
By October 31, Congress seeks that Silver provide a briefing on "fraudulent, illegal, and alleged betting practices" in the NBA, actions that the league plans to take, a reevaluation with sports betting companies, and more.
Arrests were conducted on Thursday (October 23), and in a statement to Complex, an NBA rep shared that the organization is in the "process of reviewing the federal indictments."
"Terry Rozier and Chauncey Billups are being placed on immediate leave from their teams, and we will continue to cooperate with the relevant authorities," the statement continued. "We take these allegations with the utmost seriousness, and the integrity of our game remains our top priority."
