From one star athlete to another, Eagles' A.J. Brown recently told Ja Morant that Morant needs to be careful about who he calls his friends.
Philadelphia Eagles wideout A.J. Brown offered some wise words to young NBA star Ja Morant after Morant was seen flashing a gun on his friend's Instagram Live a day ago.
It's Morant's second gun-related controversy, as the Memphis Grizzlies guard was suspended for doing the same exact thing in March, when he was also seen brandishing a gun on a livestream.
In the wake of that incident, the NBA suspended Morant "for conduct detrimental to the league," and Morant was reportedly enrolled in a counseling program. He also met with league commissioner Adam Silver to discuss his actions and consequences.
While most of the angles on Morant's situation follow the lines of, "Why is Morant being so reckless and sabotaging his NBA career?", Eagles' Brown gave another take.
Brown insinuated that Morant's "friend" did him wrong by recording him on Instagram Live, and that Morant needs to "watch who you called your friend."
Eagles' A.J. Brown seems to sympathize with Ja Morant after second gun incident
Of course, Morant's friends are only part of the problem.
The fact that Morant got suspended the first time around and still hasn't learned his lesson is troubling, especially to an NBA team that considers Morant to be the franchise star for years to come.
Morant publicly apologized for his actions following the nightclub gun incident in March, and after going through therapy, it appeared as though Morant was sincerely remorseful — that's what the point guard told Adam Silver, anyway.
His latest behavior sees him fall down the same disappointing path and revert to his irresponsible and reckless ways, and there's simply no place for that in professional sports. On the court and off the court, the league expects a certain standard out of its players, and Morant making the same poor choices he did in March doesn't reflect well on his character or future in the NBA.
What's next for Morant? Another lengthy suspension, certainly. And, per A.J. Brown's advice, he might do well to look for some better role models when it comes to picking friends.
