Former NBA player Damon Jones was arrested as part of a federal gambling investigation.
Jones and other former athletes, called ‘face cards,’ were allegedly used to entice victims.
Jones played 11 seasons in the NBA for 10 different teams and later won a title as an assistantt coach.

Former NBA player Damon Jones was arrested Oct. 23 as a result of a federal gambling investigation, FBI director Kash Patel announced.

‘Beginning as early as 2019, the defendants in this case orchestrated a large-scale operation, coordinating the use of wireless cheating technology to rig poker games across the United States, including in the Hamptons, Las Vegas, Miami, and Manhattan,’ Patel said in a news conference Thursday. ‘The scheme specifically targeted victims, referred to as ‘fish,’ who were often enticed to participate in these rigged games by the opportunity to play alongside former professional athletes, known as ‘face cards,”

‘Among these face cards were Chauncey Billups, a former NBA player and currently the head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers, and Damon Jones, also a former NBA player and coach,’ Patel added. ‘What the victims, or ‘fish,’ did not realize was that everyone else at the poker game, from the dealer to the other players, including the face cards, was complicit in the scam.’

Here’s what to know about Jones, as the 49-year-old stands among the group of 30-plus people charged in the wide-ranging scandal.

Who is Damon Jones?

Jones is a former basketball player who played 11 seasons in the NBA. The 6-4 combo guard went undrafted out of Houston in 1997 after a four-year career with the Cougars and began his playing career with the International Basketball Association’s Black Hills Posse in 1997.

Jones eventually made his NBA debut in 1999 with the then-New Jersey Nets. He ended up playing for 10 different teams around the association but was most noted for his three-year stretch with the Cleveland Cavaliers from 2005-08.

Below is a look at Jones’ NBA timeline:

New Jersey Nets (1999)
Boston Celtics (1999)
Golden State Warriors (1999)
Dallas Mavericks (1999-2000)
Vancouver Grizzlies (2000-01)
Detroit Pistons (2001-02)
Sacramento Kings (2002-03)
Milwaukee Bucks (2003-04)
Miami Heat (2004-05)
Cleveland Cavaliers (2005-08)
Milwaukee Bucks (2008-09)

Jones played overseas for a few seasons following his stint with the Bucks before finishing his professional basketball career in 2012 with the Reno Bighorns (now the Stockton Kings) of the NBA’s G League.

Damon Jones stats for playing career

Jones played in 114 career games across his 11-year playing career. Most of those came during the 2004-05 season, when he played 66 games for the Miami Heat.

Here’s a full look at Jones’ per-game stats from his NBA career:

Points: 6.6
Rebounds: 1.6
Assists: 2.7
Steals: 0.4
Blocks: 0
Field goal %: 40.7
3-point %: 39

Damon Jones coaching career

Jones spent three seasons coaching in the Cavaliers organization. He was an assistant for the G League’s Canton Charge for the 2015-16 campaign and then was a part of Tyronn Lue’s staff from 2016-18.

Lue elevated Jones to the Cleveland bench for the 2016 NBA playoffs. The Cavaliers won the championship that year, earning Jones his first and only NBA title.

Damon Jones net worth, career earnings

There is no concrete information about Jones’ net worth, but Basketball Reference reports he earned just over $21.7 million during his professional basketball career.

The Dallas Wings are expected to hire longtime University of South Florida head coach Jose Fernandez.

South Florida announced in a social media post Thursday that Fernandez informed the university of ‘his decision to pursue an opportunity to coach at the next level in the WNBA’ following 25 seasons at the helm of the Bulls women’s basketball team. Both ESPN and SB Nation reported the Wings are closing in on a deal for Fernandez to become the team’s fifth head coach in seven seasons.

‘While this is a bittersweet moment for our program, it is a well-deserved opportunity for Jose to realize a professional dream, and we are incredibly proud of him,’ USF athletics CEO Rob Higgins added in the statement.

Fernandez will take over a Wings team that finished 10-34 last season, tied for last place in the WNBA standings with the Chicago Sky, despite a sensational Rookie of the Year campaign from the Wings 2025 No. 1 overall pick Paige Bueckers. Bueckers averaged 19.2 points, 5.4 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 1.6 steals while shooting 47.4% from the floor, 33.1% from the 3-point line and 88.8% from the free throw line.

The Wings parted ways with head coach Chris Koclanes on Sept. 30 after one season in hopes of building a strong culture around Bueckers to contend for a championship.

Fernandez, 53, led USF to a 485–317 record, 10 NCAA tournament and nine WNIT appearances, including a WNIT title in 2009 and WNIT semifinal finish in 2014. Fernandez was named the American Athletic Conference Coach of the Year in 2018 and 2021.

‘Over the past 25 years, Jose has been an exceptional leader, mentor and advocate for the University of South Florida,’ Higgins said. ‘His impact on USF Athletics and our university community is profound, and his legacy will be remembered and celebrated for years to come.’

Fernandez is the latest WNBA head coach expected to be hired.

The Portland Fire hired Cleveland Cavaliers assistant coach Alex Sarama as its inaugural head coach, while the Toronto Tempo are the expected to hire former New York Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello. Two head coaching vacancies remain in the WNBA: the Seattle Storm and the New York Liberty.

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Eric ‘Spook’ Earnest. Marves ‘Vezino Locks’ Fairley. Shane ‘Sugar’ Heenan. And ‘Scary Terry’ Rozier.

The FBI indictment charging six individuals in a gambling case that has ensnared the NBA isn’t short on nicknames or internet culture. In the 23-page document unsealed Thursday morning, serious allegations including wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy were bundled with aliases common in the sports and betting world.

In Rozier’s case, the nickname ‘Scary Terry’ didn’t emerge until well into his professional career. While playing for the Boston Celtics in 2018, fans on Twitter/X and Reddit bestowed the nickname on the guard, ostensibly borrowing the name from a character on Cartoon Network series ‘Rick and Morty’ — the character itself is a spoof of the villainous Freddy Krueger from the ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street’ franchise.

According to the Boston Globe’s Adam Himmelsbach, Rozier’s team gladly adopted the moniker and began selling branded merchandise, ultimately landing Rozier in legal trouble over the use of copyrighted intellectual property. The nickname also found its way to Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin, who saw his name trending earlier Thursday due to some obvious confusion.

Now the moniker is on the official FBI indictment alongside:

Eric Earnest: also known as ‘Spook’
Marves Fairley: also known as ‘Vez’, ‘Vezino’ and ‘Vezino Locks’
Shane Hennen: also known as ‘Sugar’
Damon Jones: alson known as ‘D Jones’ and ‘Dee Jones’
Deniro Laster: also known as ‘Niro’, ‘Payso’ and ‘Peso’
Terry Rozier: also known as ‘Scary Terry’ and ‘Chum’
Nelson Alvarez: also known as ‘Spanish G’
Ammar Awawdeh: also known as ‘Flapper Poker’ and ‘Flappy’
Matthew Daddino: also known as ‘The Wrestler’

Fairley appears to have run an Instagram account providing betting advice under the alias ‘Vezino Locks’, with ‘locks’ serving as betting slang for a guaranteed winner, though often the name is used in jest. Billups’ nickname — ‘Mr. Big Shot’ — was not included in the indictment.

The FBI revealed the investigations were also given cheeky codenames, including ‘Operation Royal Flush’ and ‘Operation Nothing But Bet’. In total, more than 30 people were indicted across the investigations that the FBI linked together and featured ties to the mafia in New York.

‘We are in the process of reviewing the federal indictments announced today,’ The NBA said in a statement. ‘Terry Rozier and Chauncey Billups are being placed on immediate leave 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.”

The New Orleans Saints are navigating a rebuild in their first year under coach Kellen Moore. They have just a 1-6 record entering Week 8 and figure to be in the running for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.

Could that prompt the Saints to be sellers at the NFL trade deadline? It would stand to reason New Orleans may want to get future assets for players who may not fit its timeline for contention.

While that will mostly apply to veterans like 36-year-old Demario Davis or players on one-year deals like Rashid Shaheed, the Saints could explore trading their top receiver, 25-year-old Chris Olave, if they get commensurate value for the 2022 first-round pick.

Olave is ‘being monitored’ by teams needing a wide receiver ahead of the Nov. 4 trade deadline, per Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz. That doesn’t necessarily guarantee the Saints will be willing to move the Ohio State product. They do have him under contract through the 2026 season after exercising his fifth-year option, after all.

Still, a trade certainly can’t be ruled out, especially if few teams emerge as legitimate sellers ahead of the deadline.

Where could Olave land if he is traded? Below is a look at the top options amid the trade rumors.

New York Giants

The Giants are expected to go ‘big-game hunting’ at receiver after losing Malik Nabers to a torn ACL, per SNY’s Connor Hughes. It’s easy to understand why, as the team is currently relying on Wan’Dale Robinson and Darius Slayton to lead their receiver group following Nabers’ injury.

Suffice to say that Olave would be a big upgrade as a top-end weapon for Jaxson Dart. He is a consistent playmaker when healthy and would profile as a strong long-term partner for Nabers. That could convince Brian Daboll and Joe Schoen, who remain on the hot seat, to swing a deal for the 25-year-old to try to turn around their 2-5 season.

New England Patriots

The Patriots are going ‘to take a long-term view’ at the trade deadline while assessing their roster, Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer reported in a recent appearance on NBC Sports Boston. That would seemingly put Olave firmly in play for the franchise.

The Patriots have gotten strong production out 31-year-old Stefon Diggs and downfield threat Kayshon Boutte, but they could use a potential No. 1 wideout to develop alongside Drake Maye. Olave, who started his career with consecutive 1,000-yard seasons before an injury-plagued 2024 season, would provide that.

New England also has an NFL-high $55 million in cap space, per OverTheCap.com. The team could use those financial resources to land the proven, young wideout and extend him. That would go a long way toward finishing the transformation of the Patriots’ receiving corps from a weakness into a strength.

Buffalo Bills

The Bills are another AFC East team that could use a potential No. 1 receiver. Josh Allen has fared well using tight end Dalton Kincaid and slot-man Khalil Shakir as his top weapons, but adding a versatile, inside-outside threat like Olave could bring Buffalo’s passing game to the next level.

Brandon Beane was aggressive in trading for Amari Cooper to help Buffalo’s receiving corps ahead of the 2024 NFL trade deadline. He could take a similar approach if a player like Olave becomes available.

Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers are ‘in the market for a receiver,’ according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. The team made two big-time trades at the position during the offseason, acquiring DK Metcalf from the Seattle Seahawks and sending George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys, but could look to acquire another player to play across from Metcalf.

Olave would be a strong fit, as he has the versatility needed to play both in the slot and on the outside for the Steelers. Pittsburgh could then move the two talented receivers around to create mismatches while shifting Calvin Austin III into a more appropriate role as a speed-based No. 3 receiver.

The Steelers likely want to go all-in with 41-year-old Aaron Rodgers playing on a one-year deal. They could be motivated to swing a big-time deal to get the receiving upgrade they so desperately need after Pittsburgh saw its non-Metcalf receivers rack up just 16 receptions across the first seven weeks of the season.

Philadelphia Eagles

Never count Howie Roseman out in the NFL trade market. The Eagles have typically been one of the NFL’s most active teams when it comes to trades during his tenure, and Olave could pique his interest as the 25-yera-old finishes out his rookie contract.

The Eagles have a strong receiver duo of A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith on the roster, but Philadelphia has seemingly been on an endless quest to find a high-quality No. 3 receiver. Olave would provide them that and could also open the door for a future Brown trade, as the 28-year-old veteran has appeared disgruntled at times during the 2025 NFL season.

Either way, Olave’s salary for the remainder of 2025 is manageable while his 2026 value of just under $15.5 million is more than reasonable for a player with his skillset.

Deion Sanders stated he cannot bring himself to shoot deer, which he considers like family on his Texas property.
Sanders fishes with what he calls his ‘partner, nine,’ implied to be a handgun, for protection against snakes, coyotes, and wild hogs.
During a recent fishing trip, Sanders said he caught a ‘huge’ turtle that ultimately ‘didn’t make it.’

Colorado football coach Deion Sanders likes to fish for bass on his lakes in Texas and recently implied he had to take out a ‘huge’ turtle during his team’s recent bye week.

He also keeps a “nine” with him in case he needs to defend himself from snakes, coyotes or wild hogs.

But he draws a line when it comes to deer.

“Only thing about it, I can’t shoot … a deer,” Sanders said on the Colorado Football Coaches Show Thursday, Oct. 23. ‘I can’t.”

Sanders said he has two families of deer on his property in Canton, Texas. “I don’t play that,” he said.

The show’s host, Mark Johnson, asked him if there’s a “differentiation between taking a fish and taking a deer.”

“Yeah,” said Sanders, whose team plays at Utah Saturday night. “Fish is in the food group, right?…”

“You can’t shoot Bambi, right?” Johnson asked.

“I can’t do it,” Sanders said.

Deion Sanders explains his partner ‘nine’

A troubled turtle is another story apparently. Sanders said he was fishing at his estate in Texas during the bye week when he felt a strong pull on his Rat-L-Trap lure. Reeling it in, he discovered it was a rather large turtle. “I mean, huge,” Sanders said.

Sanders then shared that he doesn’t fish “without the comfort of my partner, nine.”

“Nine” is sometimes used as slang for a 9mm handgun, though Sanders didn’t specifically say it was a gun.

“His name is nine, OK,” Sanders said. “I don’t fish without the comfort of that because, you know, where I am, it’s snakes. It’s coyotes. It’s wild hogs. It’s everything. And let’s just say the turtle didn’t make it.”

Sanders, 58, also revealed he’s considering getting a couple of horses for the ranch.

“But I want comfortable,” Sanders said. “I don’t … Nobody’s going to win the Kentucky Derby with me on the back.”

Follow reporter Brent Schrotenboer @Schrotenboer. Email: bschrotenb@usatoday.com

The lawyer for Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier says his client will fight allegations that he was involved in a wide-ranging gambling ring that has resulted in more than 30 arrests.

In a statement to USA TODAY, attorney Jim Trusty says investigators previously told Rozier he was ‘a subject, not a target’ of the gambling probe. However, following Rozier’s arrest on Thursday, Oct. 23, Trusty says FBI officials ‘appear to be taking the word of spectacularly in-credible sources rather than relying on actual evidence of wrongdoing.’

Trusty noted that the NBA conducted its own preliminary investigation last year after the allegations first surfaced. ‘Terry was cleared by the NBA and these prosecutors revived that non-case,’ he said.

Trusty took particular issue with the way Rozier was taken into custody Thursday morning at the Heat’s team hotel in Orlando, Florida.

‘It is unfortunate that instead of allowing him to self-surrender they opted for a photo op. They wanted the misplaced glory of embarrassing a professional athlete with a perp walk. That tells you a lot about the motivations in this case.’

At the center of attention in Rozier’s case is a March 23, 2023, game between the Charlotte Hornets and New Orleans Pelicans. Sports books in several states flagged unusual betting activity on Rozier’s statistics, triggering a halt on his prop bets. Rozier, who averaged 35.3 minutes and 21.1 points per game that season, left the game after playing just 10 minutes due to a foot injury.

Justice Department officials alleged on Thursday that more than $200,000 was bet on Rozier’s ‘under’ in the game.

‘Terry is not a gambler, but he is not afraid of a fight, and he looks forward to winning this fight.’