Ja Morant has reportedly been suspended for 25 games after he flashed a gun on Instagram Live in May. While in line with league expectations, the punishment means the Memphis Grizzlies will be without Morant until at least early December. The suspension length was first reported by Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Morant has said very little since he was initially suspended from team activities on May 14. While he did issue an apology after Adam Silver commented on the incident, it was not well received. Morant's comments were seen as being overly vague and generic. Furthermore, some fans went as to joke that Morant had used a chatbot to generate an apology for him. However, Morant has broken his silence to fully address the incident.
Morant Shares New Apology Following Suspension
Morant's new apology was first shared by Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. "I've had time to reflect and I realize how much I've caused. I want to apologize to the NBA, the Grizzlies, my teammates, and the city of Memphis. To Adam Silver, Zach Kleiman and Robert Pera - who gave me the opportunity to be a professional athlete and have supported me - I'm sorry for the harm I've done. To the kids who look up to me, I'm sorry for failing you as a role model. I promise I'm going to be better. To all my sponsors, I'm going to be a better representation of our brands. And to all my fans, I'm going to make it up to you, I promise."
He continued. "I'm spending the offseason and my suspension continuing to work on my own mental health and decision making. I'm also going to be training so that I'm ready to go when I can be back on the court. I know my teammates are going to hold it down and I'm so sorry I won't be out there with you at the beginning of the season. I hope you'll give me the chance to prove to you over time I'm a better man than what I've been showing you." While hitting all the right beats, the apology sounds very similar to the one he gave after his last suspension. Only time will tell as to whether Morant has truly changed. Follow all the latest sports news here at HotNewHipHop.
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