Levon Campbell
\n<\/span>Staff Writer<\/span><\/p>\n

The highly anticipated matchup between the Memphis Grizzlies and the Los Angeles Lakers was interrupted by a heated altercation on the sidelines on Jan. 20, 2023 at the Crypto Arena in Los Angeles.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The altercation involved National Football League (NFL) Hall-of-Famer Shannon Sharpe, several Grizzlies teammates, and Tee Morant, the father of Ja Morant, shortly after the halftime buzzer sounded.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Sharpe and Grizzlies guard Dillon Brooks were seen on the court exchanging words with each other. While at first, it seemed like friendly banter, Sharpe gestured for Brooks to come over to him which created tension in the arena.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This caused Steven Adams, Grizzlies\u2019 center, along with a mob of players and security to congregate on the sidelines.\u00a0 Ja Morant and his father also joined the group in confronting Sharpe with Tee Morant and Sharpe exchanging words before being separated.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

During halftime, Sharpe talked to ESPN reporter Dave McMenamin and provided some insight into how the situation occurred.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThey do all that talking and jockeying and I ain\u2019t all about that jockeying. It started with Dillion Brooks. I said he was too small to guard LeBron,\u201d Sharpe said to the ESPN reporter.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Sharpe claimed that the two exchanged profane words, before the situation escalated but he remained unbothered. He returned to his courtside seat after halftime where he continued to cheer on LeBron James and the Lakers to secure the victory over the Grizzlies.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Sharpe was shown shaking hands and hugging Tee Morant at the end of the game, displaying that the altercation was settled between the two.<\/span><\/p>\n

Despite Sharpe and Tee Morant settling their differences, Brooks remained unsettled about the interaction. Brooks felt that Sharpe should not have been able to return to his seat after the altercation.<\/span><\/p>\n

Brooks received backlash immediately for his statement after fans were not pleased that he was unfamiliar with Sharpe\u2019s involvement in the sports industry.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Jonas Goss, a freshman electrical engineering major from Jackson, Miss., expressed his confusion for Brooks\u2019 comments against Sharpe.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s in the Hall of Fame and won three championships so how is he a pedestrian?\u201d Goss questioned.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sharpe issued a public apology on his daily show \u201cSkip and Shannon: Undisputed\u201d on Jan. 23.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI take full responsibility for what transpired. It doesn\u2019t matter what Dillion Brooks said or how many times he said it,\u201d Sharpe said on-air. \u201cMe being the responsible person, me having the platform I have, and having so many people look up to me, I was wrong.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

He added, \u201cI should have lowered the temperature in the arena. Instead, I turned the temperature up, and I let it get out of hand.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Sharpe also apologized to the Lakers organization and James himself. However, in a press conference following the Lakers win, the Lakers superstar emphasized that he will support Sharpe regardless of what happened.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Vance Owens, Instant Replay Technician for Athletes at Jackson State, believed that the confrontation between Sharpe and the players didn\u2019t require an apology since it was just the heat of the game.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt was just two competitors that were just talking noise, nothing too special.\u201d Owens said. \u201cI think he had to apologize because of the platform he is on. But other than that, he didn\u2019t really have to apologize for that night,\u201d Owens stated.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jamarcus Davis, a junior civil engineering major from Cleveland, Miss., agreed with Owens and believed that Sharpe was not in the wrong during the altercation either.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThey just didn\u2019t like Shannon, he was just being honest,\u201d Davis said. \u201cHe didn\u2019t have to apologize, he just did what was necessary, and they responded with violence.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

While most students think that Sharpe didn\u2019t have to apologize for the conflict, they are glad that he did to save face. The incident has fizzled down to only \u201ctrash talk\u201d amongst sports buffs.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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