Knicks forward Marcus Morris is taking back offensive comments he made against Memphis Grizzlies forward Jae Crowder after New York lost 127-106 on Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden.
Down 18 points with 48 seconds left in regulation, Elfrid Payton ran up to Crowder and shoved him into the first row of the courtside seats after the veteran forward shot and missed a wide-open 3-point attempt, which prompted Morris' post-game comment.
"I think the dude (Crowder) plays the game a different way. He's got a lot of female tendencies on the court,” Morris said. “Flapping and throwing his head back the entire game. This is a man's game and you just get tired of it."
He also said Crowder was trying to "rub it in" because the Grizzlies were winning: "It's just unprofessional, man. It's soft. His game is soft. He's soft… He's just very woman-like."
A short time later, Morris apologized for his comments.
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"I apologize for using the term 'female tendencies,'" Morris posted on Twitter. “I have the upmost respect for women and everything they mean to us. It was a Heat of the moment response and I never intended for any Women to feel as though in anyway I'm disrespecting them. Again I apologize for my comments.”
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Crowder, who was ejected, did not address the media after the game.
Morris was also ejected for instigating the fight.
Payton admitted he would do it all over again and knock Crowder, or any other player, to the ground if they attempt to tack on points with the game out of reach.
"That shot was disrespectful,” Payton said. "I'm standing on that. I'd a did it again. Doesn't matter who took that shot. Don't disrespect the game like that."
The confrontation cast a shadow over a strong performance by Dillon Brooks, who scored 27 points, and Ja Morant, who had 18 points and 10 assists, as the Grizzlies cruised to their fourth straight victory.
