Taylor Jenkins, the head coach of the Memphis Grizzlies, has revealed that the members of the team had spoken to Ja Morant about his off-the-court conduct before he posted a video of himself flashing a gun at a strip club in Denver.
Being aware of his prior history, the members of the team wanted to avoid a situation like what happened last weekend, but the talk fell on deaf ears considering that Ja Morant has been suspended by the team for at least six games.
“We’ve had conversations in the past to try to guide him and help him evolve as a person and as a player,” Jenkins stated on the conversation that took place before the incident in Glendale, Colorado. “Obviously, this reached a critical point the other day, so we kicked this process into action.”
Morant is the undisputed star on the team, but he’s recently been involved in incidents that could put his career in jeopardy. A few days ago, he took to IG Live to record from inside a strip club that he attended in Colorado after the Nuggets defeated the Grizzlies on the road on Friday night. Glendale police said on Wednesday that there wasn’t sufficient evidence to file charges against Morant.
The Grizzlies initially announced that the 23-year-old would miss at least two games, but after Glendale police announced that charges wouldn’t be pressed, the team decided to extend the suspension for four more games.
Morant’s absence comes at a time of more bad news for Memphis: Brandon Clarke tore his Achilles, putting an end to his season while starting center Steven Adams, who was expected to return to action soon, will be re-evaluated in four weeks to see the progression of his knee injury.