NBA star apologizes after sharing vulgar anti-police social media post

Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant apologized Monday after sharing a social media post that featured a vulgar anti-police message on the back of his NBA jersey, ESPN reported.

What was the post? Morant reposted an image from another user which featured his jersey, #12, with the word "F***" above the number, where his last name would normally go. "F*** 12" is an anti-police slogan. Commenting on the post, Morant wrote "want dat on my jersey fr (for real)."

The apology: Morant, a rookie point guard, apologized on Twitter and emphasized that he was not against all police officers, just the bad ones.

"I want to first apologize for reposting something that didn't clearly and accurately convey what I wanted to share," Morant wrote. "My post was intended to focus on the bad cops who get away with the murder of unarmed Black men and women, and those who continue to harass peaceful BLACK LIVES MATTER protestors. I know there are good cops '12' out there. I know some, and a few are family. I am thankful to the cops at Murray State who took care of me and the cops who continue to watch over me with the Grizzlies. We NEED good cops to step up and make sure other cops are not abusing their power."

Custom jerseys? The anti-police incident comes just as the NBA is considering allowing players to wear jerseys that contain social justice messaging on the back instead of their names when the season starts again at the end of July. ESPN reports:

The personalized statements on jerseys are part of a long list of social justice messages the players plan to make through the remainder of the season, which restarts July 30 in Orlando, Florida. The NBA and the NBPA announced an agreement on Wednesday to continue to discuss fighting systemic racism and to make it one of the main focuses of the restart. Personalized jerseys could say such things as "Black Lives Matter" or "I Can't Breathe," bring light to a social or charitable cause or even display the names of George Floyd or Breonna Taylor, who were killed by police in recent months.