Ex-Celtics Star Arrested, Brother Says Media Got It All Wrong

The mug shot of former Boston Celtics forward Marcus Morris Sr. made the social media rounds on July 27 shortly after his arrest in Florida.

Morris Sr. was charged with a felony fraud for writing a check with insufficient funds, according to sherrif.org.

His twin brother, Markieff Morris, slammed the sensational reporting of the case and hinted there’s more to the story behind the “fraud” headlines.

“The wording is crazy. Damn for that amount of money they’ll embarrass you in the airport with your family,” Markieff wrote on X. “They got y’all really thinking bro did some fraud (expletive). They could have came to the crib for all that. When y’all hear the real story on this … All I can say is Lesson learned.”

Yony Noy, the Morris twins’ business manager, came to Marcus’ defense and later clarified that the charges were gambling-related.

“Just so everyone understands this is zero fraud here or whatever crap outlets have said regarding fake checks or whatever the hell,” Noy wrote on X. “This is due to an outstanding marker with a casino. If you have over $1,200 they can issue a warrant for your arrest. Absolute insanity!”

According to Hofland and Tomsheck, Las Vegas criminal lawyers, a casino marker functions like a short-term loan from the casino.

“Patrons sign a promissory note agreeing to repay the marker within a designated time frame, typically 30 days. If the marker remains unpaid, the casino can convert the marker into a check and attempt to withdraw the funds directly from the patron’s bank account. If the withdrawal fails due to insufficient funds or a closed account, the casino can initiate criminal proceedings.

“In Nevada, unpaid casino markers are treated as “bad checks,” and failing to repay them can result in criminal charges.”

Marcus Morris’ Stint in Boston

Marcus Morris Sr. played for two seasons in Boston, averaging 13.8 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 129 games.

He arrived in a 2017 trade from Detroit in exchange for Avery Bradley and a 2019 second-round pick, which the Celtics used to draft Tremont Waters.

Morris was a key contributor for the Celtics’ 2017-18 Eastern Conference Finals run, averaging over 10 points and leading the team in rebounding. On top of his numbers, he provided toughness for the Celtics team that featured Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward.

Aside from the Celtics, Morris played for the Houston Rockets, who drafted him 14th overall in 2011, Phoenix Suns, Detroit Pistons, New York Knicks, Los Angeles Clippers, Philadelphia 76ers and Cleveland Cavaliers.

After hanging up his sneakers, he frequently appeared on ESPN’s morning sports shows “Get Up” and “First Take” in recent months.

Celtics Eye Ben Simmons in a ‘Random Swing’

Only Tatum and Brown are left on the Celtics team that Morris played in. But Tatum will not be available next season due to an Achilles injury.

His devastating injury led to a roster overhaul for a Celtics team that is looking to get under the second apron. It also created a lot of openings on their roster following the salary dump moves that saw veterans Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis get traded. Luke Kornet also left in free agency, while Al Horford is expected to play elsewhere.

That is why the Celtics are swinging for the fences on former No. 1 pick Ben Simmons.

On the Celtics Talk Podcast, Chris Forsberg described Simmons as the type of “random swing” the Celtics should be taking right now. Fellow guest Brian Robb echoed the sentiment:

“There’s still just a big void for where (Jayson) Tatum’s minutes would have been this year… And Simmons does a lot—obviously doesn’t do anything nearly as well as Tatum does—but he does some of it. He at least has size and can rebound and can pass.”

Simmons is expected to make his decision this week, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, with the Celtics among the teams he’s considering joining.