Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant will be out of the team for at least four more games, the team said Wednesday, shortly after police announced that he will not face charges in Colorado related to the The live streamed video is the one where he appears to be flashing a gun at a strip club.
“Ja Morant will remain away from the team for at least the next four games,” the team said without further comment.
That means Morant will miss games against Golden State on Thursday, at home against Dallas on Saturday, in Dallas on Monday and in Miami on March 15. The earliest he could play is March 17 in San Antonio, and there’s no guarantee of that.
Meanwhile, the Glendale Police Department said it investigated the video, which was a feed Morant posted on his Instagram channel while appearing to be holding a firearm, and found no evidence that a crime had been committed. Glendale is an enclave surrounded by the city of Denver.
“In this case, it should be noted that on the night in question the GPD did not receive any calls for service at the nightclub regarding a weapon of any kind,” police said. “Subsequently, no riots were reported, and no citizen or club patron came forward to file a complaint.
“The investigation also concluded that no one was threatened or threatened with the firearm and, in fact, no firearm was ever located.”
The NBA has said it is also looking into the matter and has not announced any sanctions, such as a suspension, against Morant.
Police said the investigation confirmed that “the incident” (Morant was not named in the statement, which only referenced “a prominent NBA player”), occurred at an establishment called Shotgun Willies in Glendale. The two-time All-Star aired the video early Saturday morning after the Grizzlies played in Denver on Friday night.
The Grizzlies said Morant would be out of the team for at least two games, Sunday and Tuesday, and Morant later said that he decided “take time to get help and work on learning better ways to deal with stress and my overall well-being.”
It’s not clear what that means. Morant has not commented further and the Grizzlies have not shared what steps he is taking or why he is seeking help.
