Powerade removes Ja Morant content from website and social media

Videos featuring NBA star Ja Morant have been removed from the Powerade website and its social channels after a cascade of disciplinary issues came to light soon after a new endorsement deal between the athlete and the Coca-Cola-owned sports drink brand was announced. Morant was suspended from the Memphis Grizzlies after his own Instagram video showed him brandishing a gun at a Colorado nightclub on March 4. It was not the only time the team had had issues with Morant’s off-the-court behavior, according to reports this week. The Powerade deal was announced on March 1 and described as part of the brand’s biggest campaign ever. The same day, an investigative piece in the Washington Post detailed incidents in which Morant allegedly hit a teenager following a scrum at a basketball game at Morant’s home and allegedly threatened a security guard at a mall parking lot in Memphis, the newspaper reported, citing police records. Morant was not charged in either of those incidents. Sign up for Ad Age newsletters From influencer marketing to agencies, get the latest news and analysis delivered to your inbox Click here Powerade, which is under Coca-Cola's Bodyarmor division, has declined to address questions about the fate of the campaign. This week the brand took its commercial featuring Morant down from its website and its social channels. The commercial was to air during the upcoming NCAA basketball tournament. The media buy included out-of-home, radio and social media. It’s not clear whether the ad will run. On Thursday Powerade posted a new video featuring track Olympian Ronnie Baker. View this post on Instagram A post shared by POWERADE (@powerade_us) TMZ reported Friday that Morant had been investigated for assault after a confrontation at a high school volleyball game in Tennessee in September, but was not charged. Morant appeared to have deleted his Twitter and Instagram accounts following the nightclub incident and released a statement saying he would take the time away from basketball “learning better methods of dealing with stress and my overall well-being.” The Grizzlies initially said Morant would miss two games; then said he would miss four additional games. The NBA is separately investigating the incident. Nike, which also has an endorsement deal with Morant, released a statement on March 4, saying it supports “his prioritization of his well-being.” Nike statement on Ja Morant: “We appreciate Ja’s accountability and that he is taking the time to get the help he needs. We support his prioritization of his well-being.”— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 5, 2023

Powerade removes Ja Morant content from website and social media

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