Memphis Grizzlies superstar Ja Morant has issued a statement after being seen flashing a gun on Instagram Live in the wee hours of Saturday morning.
“I take full responsibility for my actions last night. I’m sorry to my family, teammates, coaches, fans, partners, the city of Memphis and the entire Grizzlies organization 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,” he said, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
The Grizzlies had previously announced on Saturday that Morant will be “away from the team” for at least the next two games, sidelining him for nationally televised matchups with the LA Clippers and Los Angeles Lakers.
Unfortunately, the IG Live incident is just the latest off-court misstep by Morant allegedly involving guns and violence.
Last summer, he was accused of a beating up a 17-year-old at his house after a pickup game, then supposedly threatened the teenager with a gun. Morant and his friends were also accused of threatening behavior toward the Indiana Pacers after a late January game, allegedly flashing a red laser at the team bus that some Indiana personnel assumed came from the scope of a gun.
Morant's leave isn't the only issue embroiling the Grizzlies, either. It was revealed on Saturday that Brandon Clarke suffered a torn left Achilles tendon in Friday's double-digit loss to the Denver Nuggets, the same game Dillon Brooks picked up his 16th technical foul, drawing an automatic one-game suspension.
Memphis, 38-24, suddenly sits just one game ahead of the Sacramento Kings for second-place in the Western Conference.
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