Update as of Monday, March 6
The police department in Colorado is now investigating Morant. The police are seeking to determine if he broke any gun laws after appearing to flash a gun while at a local nightclub. While Colorado is an open-carry state, there are still certain laws in effect — such as the carrying of a firearm on federal property.
Original story
Ja Morant, the starting point guard for the Memphis Grizzlies, will not be suiting up for the team any time soon. Initially, Morant was going to miss at least two games after the guard was seen on an Instagram Live video at a strip club waving a gun.
“We are aware of a social media post involving Ja Morant and are investigating,” shared NBA spokesperson Mike Bass in a statement.
The Memphis guard take accountability for his actions:
“I’m sorry to my family, teammates, coaches, fans, partners, the city of Memphis and the entire organization for letting you down,” expressed Morant. “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.”
Now, not even 24 hours later, head coach Taylor Jenkins stated there is no timetable for Morant’s return to the court.
“He understands he’s made some difficult decisions and poor choices in the past that he’s got to account for,” Jenkins shared. “He’s definitely embracing the mistakes that he’s made but only time will tell. We’re going to support him and we’re going to hold him accountable to make those changes.”
At this moment, there is no specifics shared on what steps Morant will have to take to rejoin the team. However, Jenkins did state he will have the team’s support during this time.
“We love him, we want what’s best for him, we support him. It’s going to be a difficult process but we’ve got a great group to get through this.”
The last few weeks have been tough for Morant as he is also the subject of an investigation the NBA is conducting. The investigation is stemming from an incident on Jan. 29 in Memphis where Morant’s friend was banned from home games. Multiple reports state a red dot was pointed a the Indiana Pacers from Morant’s group of friends – a laser which security believes was attached to a gun.
Furthermore, he has also been accused of “repeatedly punching” a minor and also threatening mall security.
