MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The family of a teen allegedly attacked by Grizzlies superstar Ja Morant at his Eads, Tennessee, house during a July 26 basketball game has filed a civil lawsuit against the point guard, according to public records. The Shelby County Sheriff's Office released the report detailing the incident to ABC24 Thursday.
According to the report, deputies with the Sheriff's Office responded to the family's home around 9:15 p.m. on July 26 when the mother of a teen said her son had been assaulted by Morant earlier in the day during a pickup basketball game.
The mother told deputies her son came home with a large knot on his head, and said Morant had jumped him.
The teen told deputies the Grizzlies point guard jumped him, punching him in the head and face. He said he was then knocked to the ground, when Morant continued to hit him with a closed fist. He then said a second man at the game began to assault him.
Nearly a month later, on August 16, the teen told detectives he and Morant had been in a verbal altercation with each other during the July 26 game, and the teen threw a basketball at Morant, which he said then accidentally hit him in the face.
The teen said Morant then came up to him, put his chin on the teen's shoulder, and asked, "should I do it to him?" to another person nearby before attacking the teen.
Detectives later talked to Morant, whose real name is Temetrius Jamel Morant, cited in the report.
Morant told detectives the teen had thrown the ball at his head intentionally, and began approaching him as if he wanted to fight. Morant then said he hit the teen in self-defense, and said his brother was also involved in the fight.
Morant said when the fight was broken up, and the teen was being escorted off the property, he threatened Morant by saying he'd "light his house up," which Morant said put him and his family in fear.
What are city officials saying?
We reached out to the Shelby County District Attorney's Office, who said they reviewed the case but declined to pursue Morant criminally:
The DA’s office is aware of the incident, and after careful review of the facts, decided that there was not enough evidence to proceed with a case. We cannot comment on a pending lawsuit.
The Sheriff's Office said, despite a civil lawsuit being filed against Morant by the teen's family on Sept. 9, they required more time to release the incident report due to there being a minor involved.
According to the Sheriff's Office, once the D.A.'s Office declined to press charges, they needed to ensure they were in compliance with public records laws involving minors.
In addition, the report outlines multiple attempts by the Sheriff's Office to contact witnesses after the July 26 incident, to which they got no reply until August 16.
We have reached out to the attorneys listed on the Sept. 9 lawsuit representing the teen's family, but have yet to hear back.