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Source: Justin Ford / Getty
Ja Morant breaks his silence amid an 8-game suspension for his viral gun-flashing incident with ESPN’s Jalen Rose revealing the backlash was a wake-up call.
Yesterday the NBA announced that Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant would face additional consequences for flashing a gun on Instagram Live after a loss to Denver. The video sent shock ways throughout the NBA and social media with everyone wondering how this could have happened. It might be the worst lapse of judgment the league has seen in decades. Morant was immediately suspended for two games with his head coach later revealing he would be away indefinitely. Yesterday the NBA announced he would be suspended for 8 games without pay for “conduct detrimental to the league”. This makes him available to return to the team Monday, essentially giving him time served. This announcement comes a day after it was announced Morant had entered therapy in Florida to find better ways to deal with stress.
Now that the NBA issued its accountability for Ja Morant the PR machine has kicked into overdrive. Jalen Rose shared a picture with the high-flying star teasing an upcoming interview. It didn’t take long for clips to surface online of Morant “taking accountability” and denying the gun was his.
“Honestly, I feel like we put ourselves in that situation with our past mistakes, and now it’s only right that we focus in and lock in on being smarter and more responsible, holding each other accountable for everything,” Morant said talking with ESPN’s Jalen Rose, referring to his inner circle. “I feel like in the past we didn’t know what was at stake. And now finally me having that time to realize everything, have that time alone, I realize that now.
“I realize what I have to lose, and for us as a group, what we have to lose. It’s pretty much just that being more responsible, more smarter, and staying away from all the bad decisions.”
Morant went on to reveal he had a one-on-one meeting with NBA commissioner Adam Silver and revealed his approach to handling the situation.
“It was good — pretty much an open discussion,” Morant said of his meeting with Silver. “Obviously, he said things I need to be better at, but more of just showing his support towards me. I accepted that, and I also sent my apologies to everybody — to the league, myself, my teammates, my family for putting that negativity towards all of us with a bad decision.”
“It’s not who I am,” Morant said. “I don’t condone it or any type of violence, but I take full responsibility from my actions. I made a bad mistake. I can see the image that I painted over myself with my recent mistakes. But in the future, I’m going to show everybody who Ja really is, what I’m about and change this narrative that everybody got
Luckily, Ja avoided a 50-game suspension for the firearm and beat the allegations of transporting it on the team plane. This seems to be the wake-up call he needed. Now Morant can continue on the path to becoming the face of the league.
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