Police Conduct Welfare Check at Ja Morant's Home After Concerning Social Media Posts
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A representative for the Shelby County Sheriff's Office tells PEOPLE that Morant is "fine" following the visit to his Memphis home
The Shelby County Sheriff's Office tells PEOPLE that Ja Morant is "fine" following a welfare check at the NBA star's Memphis home on Wednesday morning.
Morant, 23, posted a series of concerning messages on his Instagram story, in which the Memphis Grizzlies star told his family he loved them before writing, "Bye," in a final post to his story.
Concern from Morant's fans and several popular NBA Twitter accounts went viral on Wednesday morning.
A representative from the sheriff's office shared the following statement with PEOPLE regarding the visit to Morant's home. "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 office's spokesperson tells PEOPLE the concern came after "seeing some social media posts this morning and receiving inquiries" regarding the NBA star's wellbeing.
Related: Memphis Grizzlies Star Ja Morant Reportedly Enters Counseling Program in Florida
Morant was suspended a second time this year from all team activities after a video recently posted on social media — and since deleted — allegedly showed him wielding a handgun.
In March, Morant served an eight-game suspension from the league for a similar incident in Denver involving the Grizzlies star brandishing a firearm on social media.
At the time, Morant met with NBA commissioner Adam Silver, who said the athlete apologized and appeared "serious" about the consequences of his actions.
After the most recent video of Morant allegedly flashing a firearm, Silver told ESPN, "Honestly, I was shocked."
Silver continued, "An eight-game suspension was pretty serious and something that he, at least to me, seemed to take incredibly seriously in that time. And we spoke for a long time about not just the consequences that could have on his career, but the safety issues around it. [Morant] could've injured, maimed, killed himself, someone else with an act like that."
Silver said the two also previously discussed "the acknowledgment that he's a star" and the impact his actions have because of his status.
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"He has an incredibly huge following, and [we discussed] my concern — and I thought he shared with me — that millions, if not tens of millions, of kids globally would have seen him do something that was celebrating in a way that act of using a firearm in that fashion," Silver said.
Morant addressed the second incident involving a firearm on social media on May 17. "I know I've disappointed a lot of people who have supported me," Morant said in a statement, according to ESPN. "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."
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