NBA Commissioner Adam Silver’s Update About Ja Morant Suspension
After making another appearance with a gun on social media, Ja Morant has been suspended indefinitely by the Memphis Grizzlies, and it appears that the NBA may be planning to take serious action against him.
Related: Grizzlies’ Player Ja Morant Suspended after Displaying a Pistol in An Instagram Live Video Again
In response to a question on the Grizzlies star at his pre-NBA Finals press conference, Commissioner Adam Silver stated that his staff had found “a fair amount of additional information” on Morant and would have already made a judgment about him if it weren’t for the playoffs:
“In terms of the timing, we’ve uncovered a fair amount of additional information since I was asked about the situation. We probably could have brought it to a head now, but we made the decision — and I believe the players association agrees with us — that it would be unfair to these players and these teams in the middle of this series to announce the results of that investigation.”
After saying further, Silver added that the announcement on Morant would come “shortly after the conclusion of the Finals.” He said that when considering a player’s discipline, a player’s past is considered, which is terrible news for Morant.
The NBA won’t benefit from Ja Morant’s past in any way
Earlier this year, the All-Star was given an eight-game suspension by the league after appearing on Instagram Live while carrying a weapon inside a strip club. That event came after allegations of Morant being involved in several gun-related incidents.
The Grizzlies and NBA framed Morant’s original punishment as a chance for him to improve his mental health; after serving his sentence, the player opened up about it. In the announcement announcing the ban, Silver described Morant’s actions after being benched as follows:
“He has expressed sincere contrition and remorse for his behavior. Ja has also made it clear to me that he has learned from this incident and that he understands his obligations and responsibility to the Memphis Grizzlies and the broader NBA community extend well beyond his play on the court.”
Morant didn’t learn his lesson. On May 14, he was once more caught on Instagram Live brandishing a pistol, and before the day was done, his organization had suspended him permanently.
Related: Ja Morant Posted Strange Notes to Instagram, Which He then Deleted: Goodbye, I love you, mom…
Police were called to Morant’s house to check on his well-being after he replied with his message of regret and a slew of ominous Instagram postings.
Meanwhile, Silver appeared on television to express his outrage at Morant’s most recent incident and to pledge that the NBA would conduct another inquiry.
In response to a question on whether he thought Morant’s original sentence was excessive considering what transpired subsequently, Silver acknowledged on Thursday that the league’s intended outcome wasn’t achieved while adamantly stating that the NBPA, the Grizzlies, and he all still wanted to stand behind him:
“If it had been a 12-game suspension instead of an eight-game suspension, would that have mattered? It seemed based on precedent, and he’s represented, and we want to be fair in terms of the league; it seemed appropriate at the time. That’s all I can say. By definition, to the extent we’ve all seen the video that it appears he’s done it again, you could say maybe not.
“But I don’t think we yet know what it will take to change his behavior. Same thing I said at the time; he seems to be a fine young man. In terms of my dealings with him, I think he’s clearly made some mistakes, but he’s young, and I’m hoping now — once we conclude at the end of our process what the appropriate discipline is, that it’s not just about the discipline, it’s about now what we, the Players Association, his team and he and the people around him are going to do to create better circumstances going forward.”
The second punishment for Morant is likely to be much lengthier than eight games. It will be up to him what happens next.
All the images are used in the story are grabbed from different videos.
