Attorneys for Terry Rozier filed a motion on Friday seeking the dismissal of two of the four federal gambling-related charges against him, writes Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic.

The motion contends that Rozier never agreed to alter his performance to benefit sports gamblers and that he wasn’t aware that anyone was betting on his stats during a March 23, 2023, game when he was with the Hornets.

Rozier’s lawyers cite a text message from Deniro Laster, Rozier’s friend and a co-defendant in the federal case. It was written six days after that game, as prosecutors allege that he was collecting a payment from a gambler who reportedly benefitted from the inside information. Laster’s text asks the gambler to avoid letting Rozier know anything about the wager.

“Dont tell chum bout the bet,” Laster wrote, using what Rozier’s lawyers say is his nickname.

“This should end the case,” his attorneys stated in the legal filing. “One does not hide a bet from the person who supposedly sold it.”

Federal prosecutors asked the judge to deny Rozier’s request, claiming that they have “developed evidence from multiple sources that this text chain does not relate to sports gambling.”

David Markus and Anita Margot Moss, who took over the case when Rozier recently opted to change his legal representation, are requesting that the counts relating to sports bribery and honest services fraud be thrown out. In December, Rozier asked the judge to dismiss charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering, but no ruling has been made. Markus and Moss have also requested that the case be moved from its Eastern District of New York setting to the Southern District of Florida.

Rozier is accused of accepting a $100K payment to remove himself early from that 2023 game so that a group of gamblers could cash in on several prop bets. Vorkunov notes that he played just 9:34 in that contest and failed to reach his season averages in points, assists or three-pointers, although he did exceed the over-under line for rebounds.

Rozer, who was arrested last October, has pleaded not guilty to all four counts and has denied the charges through his attorneys.

“Terry Rozier is innocent,” his lawyers wrote in Friday’s motion for dismissal. “He is a basketball player, not a gambler. He never bet on anything, never agreed to underperform, never did underperform, and did not know that anyone was wagering on his statistics in the Charlotte Hornets’ March 23, 2023, game.”