Ja Morant says he takes ‘full responsibility’ after second gun video on social media

Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant said he takes “full responsibility” for his actions after his team suspended him for brandishing a firearm for the second time in a social media video. 

“I know I’ve disappointed a lot of people who have supported me,” Morant said in a statement released Tuesday through his representatives, noting that he has “more work to do” to better himself. 

“My words may not mean much right now, but I take full accountability for my actions,” Morant added. “I’m committed to continuing to work on myself.”

The Hill has reached out to Tandem Sports + Entertainment, the agency that represents Ja Morant, for comment. 

This is Morant’s first public statement since the team announced on Sunday that it had suspended the star guard from all team activities after he apparently flashed a firearm while singing along to rapper NBA Youngboy’s song in a friend’s Instagram live stream.   

It’s been less than three months since Morant, a two-time NBA All-Star, was seen on an Instagram livestream brandishing a gun inside of a Denver, Colo. area nightclub. 

That viral video drew immediate backlash, as the league suspended Morant for eight games, which cost him about $669,000 in salary. The incident also led Morant to announce that he was taking time away from basketball to seek help, attending a counseling center in Florida during his time off. 

Morant was also investigated by the league earlier this year after his team’s Jan. 29 contest against the Indiana Pacers, in which multiple members of the Pacers said that they saw a red dot pointed at them, with a team security guard saying he believed it was a laser attached to a gun.

The NBA confirmed in its investigation that they found no evidence that anyone was threatened with a weapon, but they banned unnamed individuals from attending Grizzlies home games, including Morant’s friend, Davonte Pack.

Morant’s latest statement came a few hours after league commissioner Adam Silver expressed his disappointment in the star’s actions.

“Honestly, I was shocked when I saw, this weekend, that video,” Silver said in a televised interview with ESPN host Malika Andrews before the league’s annual draft lottery in Chicago.

“We’re in the process of investigating it and we’ll figure out exactly what happened as best as we can. The video’s a bit grainy and all that, but I’m assuming the worst. We’ll figure out exactly what happened there.”

– The Associated Press contributed to this report.