Police conducted a welfare check at Ja Morant’s Tennessee home after he made a cryptic social media post on Wednesday.
A spokesperson for the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office told TMZ cops went to the Memphis Grizzlies star’s home shortly after he shared what looked like a suicide post on his Instagram page.
Cops swarmed the house after the 23-year-old posted photos of his parents and younger sister, along with a goodbye message:
“Love ya ma [blue heart emoji]”
Love ya pops [blue heart emoji]
You da greatest baby girl love ya [blue heart emoji]Bye.”
Cops say they spoke with Morant who told them “that he is taking a break from social media.”
“He is fine,” the spokesperson added.
Ja, real name Temetrius Morant, was suspended for 8 games in March after he displayed a gun in a Denver nightclub.
Earlier this month, he pulled the same stunt by waving a gun in an Instagram Live video.
He was banned from attending all Grizzlies events and meetings.
Sports agents are furious because they say Morant “tarnished” the reputations of their superstar clients.
According to Tim MacMahon of ESPN, anonymous sports agents are “livid” at Morant.
“I’m curious what stance [the players association] might take, I’ve talked to agents of other superstar players and they’re pissed off too,” MacMahon said in a podcast. “Because this is not just a bad look for Ja Morant. This is not just a bad look for the Memphis Grizzlies. This reflects poorly on the entire league.”
He continued: “I’m talking to an agent of another superstar and he’s like ‘Man, this really taints the image of the whole league. I’ve got my clients who are doing everything right, who are never sniffing any kind of trouble. Positive members of their community. So on and so forth, but then the perception is going to be ‘Look at this fool who thinks playing with guns on Instagram Live is cool.'”
“So the players’ association thing will be interesting because it’s not just the league office, it’s not just the Memphis Grizzlies. Other teams are livid about this and other agents are livid about this because they feel it reflects poorly on everybody,” he said.
Meanwhile, the backlash continues against Morant. Nike canceled the launch of his signature shoe this month. And NBA 2K benched Morant in their video game.
They Suspended Ja Morant even in NBA 2k ??? pic.twitter.com/0eob9B6MVE
— Raphousetv (RHTV) (@raphousetv2) May 21, 2023
