NBA: Ja Morant apologises for gun video, to take ‘time away’
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Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant has been ruled out of his team's next two games, as the NBA investigates his gun video.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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LOS ANGELES – Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant has apologised and said he will “take some time away” after he was seen displaying what appeared to be a gun at a nightclub on his Instagram live feed early on Saturday morning.
The guard had already been ruled out of at least the next two games, against the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday and the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday, while the league investigated the video.
With his statement, it is unclear when he will return.
“I take full responsibility for my actions last night,” Morant said.
“I’m sorry to my family, teammates, coaches, fans, partners, the city of Memphis and the entire Grizzlies organisation for letting you down. I’m going to take some time away to get help and work on learning better methods of dealing with stress and my overall well-being.”
At least one sponsor, Nike, is sticking with him, so far.
“We appreciate Ja’s accountability and that he is taking the time to get the help he needs,” the company said.
Morant, 23, already had been trending on social media following a report from The Washington Post last week that linked him to an alleged fight with a 17-year-old and alleged threats against a mall security guard.
Charges were not brought in either of those separate incidents last summer, according to Shelby County police records obtained by the Post.
In the first incident, the Post reported that a 17-year-old claimed to have been punched at least 12 times by Morant during a pick-up game at Morant’s house in Eads, Tennessee, on July 26.
The scrum allegedly began when the two got into a verbal altercation that became heated, resulting in the teen hitting Morant in the face with the basketball, something he claimed was accidental.
The teen told police that Morant then emerged from his house with a gun visible in the waistband of his trousers and his hand on the weapon.
Morant told police that he punched the teen but that the latter was the aggressor, per the Post report, which added that Morant filed his own police report weeks later.
A Shelby County district attorney’s spokesman told the Post that there was “not enough evidence” to bring charges against either Morant or the teen.
In the second incident, a mall security guard claimed to have been pushed in the head by members of Morant’s entourage in the parking lot after asking them to leave.
That incident began when Morant’s mother got into a dispute with a store employee inside the mall. She called Morant, who then showed up with as many as nine friends.
The guard filed the report, saying he felt threatened. REUTERS
