Memphis Grizzlies Ja Morant has issued a statement apologizing after he posted a video of him on Instagram Live flexing a gun in a strip club after the 112-94 loss to the Denver Nuggets.
“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 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.”
Mike Bass, a spokesman for the NBA, told ESPN that they were looking into the incident. “We are aware of a social media post involving Ja Morant and are investigating.”
Grizzles Coach Taylor Jenkins told the press before the game against LA Clippers that there was no definitive for Morant’s return as the NBA and the team investigate the incident and Morant recovers from “an ongoing healing process.”
“We have said that it’s going to be at least these two games. I mean, this is going be an ongoing healing process. … It’s really not a timetable situation,” Jenkins said.
“We’re taking this very seriously,” Jenkins said. “There’s a supportive element for someone that’s got to get better and needs some help. But then there’s also accountability to the team that we’ve got to stand for.”
“Obviously nationwide, league wide, there’s been a lot of attention on gun violence, and so for us, that’s the stance that we’ve taken about how we can support Ja throughout this growth opportunity. It’s a learning opportunity, and hopefully we can be better from it.”
