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NBA star Ja Morant is in trouble again after appearing in a video holding a gun for the second time since March.
The Memphis Grizzlies guard is suspended from team activities, and he received an eight-game ban for a similar incident during the season.
It's not the first, or second, time Morant has been in the news for his behavior.
And a former NFL MVP says Morant's surroundings are to blame for that.
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Ja Morant of the Memphis Grizzlies against the Golden State Warriors in Game 3 of the NBA Western Conference semifinals at Chase Center May 7, 2022, in San Francisco. (Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
"When I see Ja, I'm seeing a guy that I don't blame him. I'm keeping it a f---ing buck. I blame the homeboy, the dad, girlfriend, any partner that's around at any given point in time. Bro, you check that mother-f---er. Check him and say, ‘Listen, dog, what are you doing?'" Cam Newton said in a video he posted to Twitter.
"The label should be, 'Keep the main thing the main thing.' If he a basketball player, make sure that his ass is keeping basketball first. … If that is ever jeopardized or compromised, what are you doing as the plus-one, or the plus-two? Because if you can't look at your homeboy in his eyes and say, ‘Bro, you’re tripping, bro …' If you can't check that individual and let him know, ‘Bro, what you on, that s--- is lame as f---.'"
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Newton said it is Morant's friends' and family members' "job to protect the individual who's supplying" luxurious benefits, such as flights, hotels and tickets for his games.
"I’m talking to the homeboy, I'm talking to the homegirl, I'm talking to the girlfriend, I'm talking to the brother, the sister that see a monster and you don’t say s---. He’s got $20 million a year on the line that’s in jeopardy, just to keep his nose clean? You’re goddamn right it’s my job to protect this young guy," Newton added.
Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant handles the ball in the second half of a game against the Portland Trail Blazers April 4, 2023, in Memphis. (AP Photo/Brandon Dill)
"I pray that Ja gets a circle around him that can protect him in those situations," Newton added, concluding the video.
Fellow NBA player Patrick Beverley said in March that Morant's behavior was rooted from "parenting" and music.
"I think music has a lot to do with this now," he said. "Especially with this culture. Everyone holding a gun in the video is OK. … The culture now is, 'Shoot them up, bang bang, bang bang shoot them up, bend you over, I got this amount money, I’m on private jets,' That’s what the younger generation is. Sadly to say, it should be based on our music, but it is mostly based on what we listen to, and that’s how it is."
Morant has been in the spotlight over the course of the season over several reports accusing him of wrongdoing. He was never charged in any of the incidents, but it all came to a boiling point earlier this year when he was seen allegedly brandishing a gun in a Denver nightclub.
Ja Morant of the Memphis Grizzlies reacts during Game 1 of the first round of the NBA Playoffs against the Los Angeles Lakers April 16, 2023, at FedEx Forum in Memphis. (Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images)
Morant checked himself into a clinic for stress management following the Denver incident. After the Grizzlies were eliminated from the playoffs, he acknowledged that his off-court incidents were likely a distraction.
One of Morant's off-court issues involved another NBA team. The Indiana Pacers claimed an altercation involving Morant and his associates in January impacted the team.
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During the alleged incident, a red laser was pointed at the Pacers players from an SUV that was carrying Morant. The Pacers believed a gun was being pointed at them and reported the incident to NBA officials.
The NBA investigated the incident and found that no "individual threatened others with a weapon."
Fox News' Ryan Gaydos and Joe Morgan contributed to this report.
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