Ja Morant.Photo: Thearon W. Henderson/Getty
Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant will not face charges after allegedly displaying a gun on social media while partying at a Colorado strip club.
In a statement shared with PEOPLE, the Glendale Police Department said they did not have probable cause to file charges against Morant after launching an investigation into the viral video. The incident took place on March 4, when the 23-year-old was seen in an Instagram Live videoappearing to hold up a handgun with his left handwith scantily clad women dancing in the background.
“Through investigation, the GPD was able to determine the incident took place at Shotgun Willies, located in the City of Glendale, during the club’s lawful operating hours,” the department said in a statement. “GPD was not able to determine that probable cause existed for the filing of any charges.”
The department also noted that they did not receive calls from the club regarding a weapon or any complaints from patrons or other citizens.
Ja Morant.Dylan Buell/Getty
“I take full responsibility for my actions last night,” Morant said. “I’m sorry to my family, teammates, coaches, fans, partners, the city of Memphis and the entire Grizzlies organization for letting you down.”
“I’m going to take some time away to get help and work on learning better methods of dealing with stress and my overall well-being,” he added.
The Grizzlies also announced that Morant would be away from the team for two games (which have already been served), and when asked about his return, head coach Taylor Jenkins said estimating an exact game would be “disrespectful.”
“It’s a healing process,” Jenkinssaid. “If everyone expects something to change overnight, we’ve got to be due diligence and respectful on that. We’re talking about Ja being in a better place… To put a timetable on it is disrespectful.”
The Grizzlies said Wednesday that Morant will sit out for at least four more games.
In one incident, Morant was said to have “threatened” the head of security at a Memphis mall after an altercation in the parking lot, which led the security chief to file a police report. In the other incident, a teenage boy reportedly told the police that Morant hadpunched himduring a pickup basketball game at Morant’s residence.
The police report indicated that Morant claimed he acted in “self-defense” after the boy threw the ball at his head.
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Tanner emphasized that all claims involving firearms had been thoroughly investigated, and no evidence had been found. This included an NBA investigation conducted in January.
A slow-moving SUV that Morant was riding in reportedly shone a red laser at the party, but NBA spokesperson Bass clarified that, based on interviews and evidence collected, they could not corroborate any reports of an individual threatening others with a weapon.
source: people.com
