Why did police visit Ja Morant after he posted on Instagram? Is the Grizzlies star ok?

Regardless of what your stance is on Ja Morant, what’s becoming increasingly clear is that at the most, he’s guilty of failing to understand the expectation that comes with the platform on which he stands. Indeed, the 23-year-old appears to be struggling to deal with the simple idea that to those whom much is given, much can be taken away.

Police check on Ja Morant’s wellbeing

According to reports on Wednesday, police from the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office in Tennessee conducted a welfare check on Memphis Grizzlies All-Star, Ja Morant, following a series of questionable messages on his Instagram profile. The Sheriff’s office released a statement regarding the situation in which they advised that things were not as they seemed. “Shelby County Sheriff’s Office deputies checked on Ja Morant at his residence this morning and he is fine. He advised us that he is taking a break from social media,” the statement read.

Morant’s posts which have since been deleted included messages such as “Love ya ma,” “Love ya pops” and “You da greatest baby girl, love ya,” with each accompanied by a photograph of the respective family member, his young daughter being the last. There was also a final post, in which Morant simply stated “Bye.” As mentioned before, the posts were promptly deleted, however, it didn’t stop others from quickly sharing them across social media, which in turn led to many voicing concern about whether or not something more sinister was afoot.

What’s up with Ja Morant?

If you’ve been following recent reports, Morant’s posts which were made on Tuesday, were the first since he was suspended by the Grizzlies for yet another incident in which he was caught on camera holding what appeared to be a gun. The video in question was seen on Instagram on May 14th and sparked wide ranging conversation about whether or not the young sensation understood the responsibility that he carries. To that end, there was widespread speculation that the league itself would hand down a severe punishment. That fire was further fueled when NBA commissioner, Adam Silver, admitted that he was “shocked” when he saw the video.

To date, there has been no sanction handed down by the league, but it would be safe to assume that Silver and Co. are still in the process of determining what to do. “Honestly, I was shocked when I saw this weekend that video,” Silver said at the time. “Now, we’re in the process of investigating it, and we’ll figure out exactly what happened to the best we can. The video is a bit grainy and all that, but I’m assuming the worst.” For his part, Morant released his own statement after the news made the rounds: “I know I’ve disappointed a lot of people who have supported me,” Morant stated at the time. “This is a journey and I recognize there is more work to do. My words may not mean much right now, but I take full accountability for my actions. I’m committed to continuing to work on myself.”