This is no defense of Ja Morant, whose erratic behavior certainly seems deserving of a lengthy comment.
Then again, in a country that worships its own firearms and dismisses frequent mass killing as nothing more than America’s cost of living, we shouldn’t be a little surprised when a reckless young athlete chooses to shoot a gun on social media.
Talk about mixed messages.
Morant will have to sit out at least the first 25 games of the upcoming NBA season to briefly display a gun in a video shared on social media.
while, Politicians who serve in some of the highest offices in the country They stood brazenly with their assault weapons in front of the Christmas trees – surrounded by their gun-wielding children.
It should be noted that Morant is playing with the Memphis Grizzlies, who reside in Tennessee, whose residents are allowed to carry firearms in public without the need for a permit.
In other words, Morant didn’t break any laws. The police don’t even bother to investigate his actions.
But the NBA is understandably concerned about the optics of one of its brightest young stars juggling guns at the time of his downtime. The league has strict rules against players—even those with a permit—who carry a firearm in arenas, practice facilities, or on team planes.
Morant broke none of these rules, but he was severely condemned for his reckless behaviour.
Morant said in a statement released through his representatives, which seemed more focused on keeping sponsors from dumping him than any genuine repentance.
His career is clearly at a crossroads.
Morant had already served an eight-match ban for a similar incident in Marchwhen a video showed him walking a gun into a strip club.
Subsequently, he showed that he had learned nothing from this lack of judgment despite an apology from the PR setup, Morant did it again last month while sitting in the passenger seat of the car.
That prompted NBA Commissioner Adam Silver to drop the hammer on Morant, issuing a 25-game suspension Friday that includes additional terms to reinstate him.
Silver is understandably concerned that Morant – one of the league’s most popular and exciting players – could influence other youngsters to go down a similar path, with potentially deadly consequences.
“Ja Morant’s decision to use a firearm again on social media is troubling and troubling given his similar behavior in March,” Silver said in a statement. “The prospect of other young people emulating Ga’s behavior is particularly worrying.
“In the circumstances, we believe the 25-game suspension is appropriate and demonstrates that engaging in reckless and irresponsible conduct with weapons will not be tolerated.”
As impressive as the NBA’s website is, it’s no match for America’s vision of guns in all shapes, sizes, and killing power.
Many states, citing the Second Amendment, have scrambled to make it easier to buy and carry guns than to obtain a hunting license. This country is awash with an astonishing array of firearms, including assault rifles that are primarily designed to kill large groups of people quickly and efficiently.
Hardly a day goes by that the United States does not experience another mass shooting.
Already this year, according to Database Maintained by The Associated Press and USA Today in partnership with Northeastern University, 131 people were victims of such a killing, which is defined as an incident in which at least four people died not involving the shooter. And that’s just a fraction of the people who die in gun-related homicides and suicides.
Despite the carnageThere appears to be little political will to take meaningful gun control measures. In fact, there are many people more shameless than Morant in flaunting their firepower.
when Kid Rock joined the culture war backlash against Bud Light For his sponsorship collaboration with transgender influencer and activist Dylan Mulvaney, the rapper made a video of himself attacking popular beer cases with a rapid-fire rifle.
There was no defense for Morant from gun rights advocates. On Friday we reached out to the National Rifle Association via phone call and email, but have not received a response.
Sticking to their usual stance, the NRA and other gun groups should be outraged that someone is being punished severely by their employer simply for displaying their gun on social media. Then again, Morant is black.
That other league decided to act decisively and resolutely – even if it meant sending complicated signals.
“For Ja, basketball needs to take a back seat at this time,” said Silver. “Prior to his return to play, he will be required to formulate and implement a program with the league that directly addresses the circumstances that have led him to repeat this destructive behavior.”
If only America felt as strongly about this issue as the NBA.
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Paul Newberry is the national sports columnist for the Associated Press. Write to him at pnewberry@ap.org
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba And https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
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