Memphis Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant will not face criminal charges stemming from his Instagram Live video in which he appeared to display a handgun at a nightclub, the Glendale, Colorado, Police Department announced Wednesday afternoon.
Shortly afterward, the Grizzlies announced that Morant will be away from the team for at least four more games. That means the earliest the All-Star guard could return is March 17 against San Antonio.
In their statement Wednesday, Glendale police say they conducted an investigation after being alerted to the video streamed on Morant’s Instagram channel, determining that the incident took place at a strip club called Shotgun Willie’s early Saturday morning, hours after Memphis’ loss to the Denver Nuggets, but that there “was not enough available evidence to charge anyone with a crime,” according to a news release.
“GPD was not able to determine that probable cause existed for the filing of any charges,” the news release stated, in part. “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 type. Subsequently, no disturbances were reported, and no citizens or patrons of the club came forward to make a complaint. The investigation also concluded that no one was threatened or menaced with the firearm and in fact no firearm was ever located.”
The Grizzlies previously said Morant would be away from the team for at least two games — those were Sunday and Tuesday — and Morant later said he will get help while he is away from the team, adding that he hopes to “work on learning better methods of dealing with stress and my overall well-being.”
Morant will now miss games against Golden State on Thursday, home against Dallas on Saturday, at Dallas on Monday and at Miami on March 15.
NBA rules prohibit a player from possessing a firearm while on team property or traveling on team business.
Colorado is an open-carry state, although there are exceptions to the law, including the carrying of a firearm on federal property. It is illegal in Colorado to possess a firearm while under the influence of alcohol.
In the video livestreamed by Morant, it is not clear whether he is intoxicated but others are shown drinking.
ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne and Liz Merrill and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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