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Police end investigation into Morant, gun without charges; he will remain away from team

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Marc Spears discusses the latest regarding Ja Morant stepping away from the Grizzlies and why he could -- and should -- be sidelined for longer than people may think.

Police in Glendale, Colorado, have ended their investigation into Grizzlies star Ja Morant apparently having a gun in the club Shotgun Willies in that city — as seen on Morant’s social media — but did not find “enough available evidence to charge anyone with a crime.”

Colorado is an open-carry state and there had been no complaints that night from the club, according to the police.

This does not mean Morant is near a return to the Grizzlies, he will be away from the team for at least four more games, the team announced.

Morant missing four more games would mean the earliest he could return is March 17 on the road in San Antonio.

The police investigation was sparked because Morant broadcast himself in the club, apparently brandishing a firearm, on Instagram Live.

The end of the police investigation does not end the jeopardy for Morant.

The NBA also is investigating the situation, specifically whose gun that was and how it arrived at the club. The NBA CBA does not allow a player to have a firearm on team property or while traveling on team business — if that is Morant’s gun and he brought it to Colorado on the team plane he could face serious discipline from the league.

Even if he did not transport the gun, the NBA could come down with a suspension in addition to him being “away from” the Grizzlies (which does not impact his pay). Morant has been out two games following this incident, now he will miss at least six games total and it could be more.

“There’s not a definitive timeline,” Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins said of a Morant return over the weekend. “I mean, we have said that it’s gonna be at least these two games, you know, we’re taking it one day at a time. I mean, this is going to be an ongoing healing process. So I can’t comment in terms of what the exact timetable is going to be because it’s really not a timetable situation.”

“I take full responsibility for my actions last night,” Morant said in a statement a day after the incident. “I’m sorry to my family, teammates, coaches, fans, partners, the city of Memphis and the entire organization for letting you down. I’m going to take some time away to get help and work on learning better methods of dealing with stress and my overall well-being.”