Yes Morant is coming off a controversial season. He is involved in a legal battle with a teenager after the two allegedly fought at a pick-up game at Morant’s house. He was accused of threatening a mall security guard. In March, he missed nine games after a video of him wielding a gun in a Colorado nightclub surfaced on Instagram. He eventually returned to the team and the hope was that he had put his problems behind him.
But on Saturday, another Instagram Live video surfaced. This one seemingly showed Morant in a car, again with a gun. It’s not clear at this point whose gun he’s holding or where the car is driving and what gun laws are in effect in that area, but the Grizzlies have suspended him of all team activities while it investigates the situation. “We are aware of the social media post involving Ja Morant and are in the process of gathering more information,” NBA spokesman Mike Bass said. said.
Morant took responsibility for his mistakes in March when he returned to the team. “It is clear that I have made mistakes in the past that have caused a lot of negative attention – not only for me, but also for my family, my team, the organization – and I am very sorry for that,” said Morant. said. “So my job now, as I said, is to be more responsible, smarter, and not make any of that.” He repeated that feeling after the Grizzlies lost their first-round series to the Los Angeles Lakers, citing a need for “discipline” and “making better decisions”.
But the Grizzlies are now less than three weeks into their offseason, and another video has already surfaced of Morant wielding a gun. Morant has already felt the tangible consequences of these mistakes. Morant was not named an All-NBA player this week, seemingly in part due to the games he missed due to his off-field mistakes. That cost him about $38 million on his next contract, as his rookie renewal included Rose Rule escalators for which he is no longer eligible. morant filed a counter suit to Joshua Holloway, the teen suing him over last season’s pickup confrontation, claiming in part that the lawsuit cost him that money.
It is not clear at this stage what steps the NBA or the Grizzlies can take to penalize Morant after this initial suspension. In March, one of the main questions was whether or not Morant brought a firearm onto team grounds or the team aircraft, as it would have caused an automatic 50-game suspension. In addition, Morant was investigated by the Colorado Police Department for the incident, although she would say later that “there was not enough evidence available to charge anyone with a crime”. In the end, he was suspended without pay for eight games for conduct detrimental to the league. This video was shot in someone’s personal vehicle during the off-season, so that may change the investigative process.
Still, this is worrying for Morant and the Grizzlies. Morant made a series of poor decisions over the past year, but the hope after his suspension in March was that he had turned a corner and learned from his mistakes. For a video like this to be released within a month of the off-season is not a development anyone had hoped for.