Ja Morant breaks silence and takes full responsibility after backlash for gun video
Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant broke his silence on his latest gun controversy and says he's taking “full accountability” after he flashed a firearm on social media for the second time this year and was suspended.
“I know I’ve disappointed a lot of people who have supported me,” Morant, 23, said Tuesday evening. “This is a journey and I recognize there is more work to do.”
“My words may not mean much right now, but I take full accountability for my actions. I’m committed to continuing to work on myself,” he said in a statement shared by his representative.
The Grizzlies said Sunday that Morant was suspended pending a league review after he was seen in an Instagram Live video over the weekend waving what appeared to be a firearm as he was in a car with a friend.
He's suspended from all team activities but won't miss any games, as the Grizzlies didn't make it to the NBA Finals.
It was the second time Morant has been suspended for appearing to have a gun in a video. He was suspended in March after he was seen on Instagram Live holding a gun at a nightclub in Colorado. He missed eight games and reportedly lost more than $600,000 in salary.
At the time, Morant said in a statement through his representation that he took “full responsibility” for his actions and that he was going to “take some time away to get help.” Morant also spoke to ESPN in March, apologizing to his team and his family for his “bad decision.”
“The gun wasn’t mine,” Morant said at the time. “It’s not who I am. I don’t condone any violence. But I take full responsibility. ... I can see the image that I painted, you know, over myself with my recent mistakes. But in the future I’m gonna show everybody who Ja really is.”
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver expressed his disappointment Tuesday evening, telling ESPN, “Honestly, I was shocked when I saw this weekend that video.
“Now we’re in the process of investigating it, and we’ll figure out exactly what happened to the best we can,” he said. “The video is a bit grainy and all that, but I’m assuming the worst.”
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