By Ron Johnson
A few months ago, we discussed the ignorance of someone who started with nothing but made it into something. We have had our shares of Antonio Browns, OJ Simpsons, even politicians who care about nothing but want everything. So once again, we find ourselves in the throws of Ja Morant.
And to put it nicely…Ja Morant has learned nothing and continues to be a dumbass.
Ja Morant’s IG Account is a Problem
After getting caught on Instagram brandishing a firearm, which was his second exposure in three months, Morant is facing yet another suspension that could have him gone for the entire season. While the NBA gave him an eight-game suspension and reduced his pay to $669,000 after the first incident, there is no telling what the Grizzlies Organization will do after the second.
Now while there are those all over the internet trying to disseminate the video entirely, we all know what we saw: During a IG Live, the All-Star was seen sitting in the front passenger seat with someone else and momentarily exhibited a firearm.
Now if this is a continuation of the first video, the Grizzlies may not do anything at all. However, visions of Plaxico Burress are quickly creeping in others’ heads as Morant’s NBA future is very much in jeopardy. The Grizzlies were quick to point out that “Morant is barred from participating in any and all team activities ‘pending league review.’” (Asahi Grill, 2023) The original gun video surfaced in early March and was captured when Morant went live on his own IG account while at a bar in Denver while the Grizzlies were visiting the Nuggets.
Adam Silver was very adamant about his thoughts on Morant’s ignorance and made this crystal clear after a meeting in March. ‘It has even more serious repercussions when considering his enormous following and influence,’ were Silver’s words after that meeting.
We all look to find those that are trying to be positive influences in a young athlete’s life, but again, I find myself insulted by the fact that Morant, who came from obscurity and poverty, managed to find his way into the NBA and is still in it to this day. In his own words, Morant said that he intended to be a change to the narrative that has been the constant in the NBA.
“I do not condone any type of violence. However, I am willing to accept complete responsibility for my acts. I should have known better, but now I can see the picture of myself that my most recent errors have created. It’s not pretty. But in the future, I’m going to show everybody who Ja truly is and what I’m about, and I’m going to rewrite this narrative.”
Those were the words Morant said in an interview with ESPN back in March after the first video. So now that there is a second video out, is Morant going to be a man of his word, or is he going to go down the road most travelled? When the new season starts in the winter, he will be at the beginning of his max five-year, $194 million deal.
The Grizzlies had all the potential to be the team to take down the eventual-NBA Champion Nuggets, however, due to internal struggles, as well as their mouths writing checks their asses couldn’t cash, they received an early first round exit courtesy of the Lakers, including a 40-point setback that closed out the series.
We are only in August of 2023, and already, there have been three known NBA investigations surrounding Ja and the constant obsession with carrying guns when just having a bodyguard would suffice. What started in January of this year went deeper in March after the incident at Shotgun Willies.
But even before all of this, there was an incident that isn’t really discussed in most circles. This is the incident in the summer of 2017 in which it is alleged that Morant and one of his close friends physically and mentally abused a young man who was 17 years old at the time of the incident.
It is alleged that during a pickup game that summer, Morant punched this 17-year-old then went into his home and came out showing a gun in his waistband, and four days prior to this one, it is also alleged that Morant and Co. threatened a security guard at a mall in Memphis.
It is one thing to act like a badass, but what is going to happen when the money dries up? There are many that are wondering if he is thinking about his playing future at this moment or if he’s just not giving a damn about it.
No matter the circumstances prior and the consequences after, there needs to be consequences. The fact remains that as much as Morant believes that he’s untouchable because he is an athlete, it does not take much to get humbled. He is in a generation now that believes that there are no consequences, and that is where the issues start. Do I feel that he is going to learn his lesson? Without a doubt. But he needs to learn that even an NBA All-Star can be punished for his misdeeds.
We are a country that lives off of good people getting punished and bad people getting punished. But it seems we get our rocks off more of watching the innocent fall. I don’t want Ja Morant to fall. I want him to change the narrative. I want him to do the right thing. I want him to show me, NO, show the world, that he does not have to just shut up and dribble. I want him to succeed. He is the type of athlete I’d love to write a good piece about one day. Not about his playing on the court but what he does off of it.
And anyone who is an actual established writer should agree with that…otherwise they are the dumbasses.
