Tee Morant, father of Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant, revealed to ESPN that three Utah Jazz fans had made racist comments to him and his wife, Jamie, during Game 2 of the first-round series between the Grizzlies and Jazz on Wednesday.
Now, Tee Morant has revealed that Jazz fans were also insulting the family of Grizzlies forward Dillon Brooks.
Tee Morant says on the show Jazz fans were also heckling Dillon Brooks family, calling them "half-breeds."
— John Martin (@JohnMartin929) May 28, 2021
On Thursday, the Jazz came out with a statement condemning the actions of those specific fans and stating that they had banned the three fans indefinitely.
“The Utah Jazz have zero tolerance for offensive or disruptive behavior. An incident occurred last night involving a verbal altercation during Game 2. Arena security staff intervened, and the investigation resulted in the removal and banning of three Jazz fans indefinitely,” the statement read. “We apologize to all who were impacted by this unfortunate incident and condemn unacceptable fan behavior. The Utah Jazz are committed to ensuring a safe and respectful environment.”
Ja Morant tweeted out his thoughts on the incident on Thursday.
as they should . my family should be able cheer for me & my teammates without getting inappropriate shit said to them 💯 https://t.co/CWiJIpkq03
— Ja Morant (@JaMorant) May 28, 2021
Jazz owner Ryan Smith tweeted an apology to the Morant family on Thursday.
Memphis Grizzlies and Morant family… we are embarrassed and sorry. The @UtahJazz have zero tolerance for offensive behavior. We are committed to creating a respectful, competitive environment. https://t.co/cLsKWSk1l1
— Ryan Smith (@RyanQualtrics) May 28, 2021
Game 3 between the Jazz and Grizzlies will be in Memphis and is scheduled to take place Saturday night.
