The twin brother of NBA free agent Marcus Morris Sr. and the player’s agent are disputing the reason for his shocking arrest in Florida on Sunday.
Morris was arrested at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. According to arrest records in Broward County, Morris is being held on a charge of Fraud – Writing a Check With Insufficient Funds.
But hours after the arrest, Morris’ brother Markieff posted an angry statement on X, formerly Twitter: ‘The wording is crazy. Damn for that amount of money they’ll embarrass you in the airport with your family,’ the post read. ‘They could have came to the crib for all that.
‘When y’all hear the real story on this s**t man. All I can say is Lesson learned. Bro will tell y’all tomorrow. This weird shit gave me a headache. Can’t stop nothin!’
Nearly half an hour later, Yony Noy – an agent representing both brothers – posted a statement of his own: ‘Just so everyone understands this is zero fraud here or whatever crap outlets have said regarding fake checks or whatever the hell. This is due to an outstanding marker with a casino. Apparently if you have over $1,200 they can issue a warrant for your arrest. Absolute insanity!’
A source told Daily Mail that the casino in question is in Las Vegas. According to the websites of multiple law firms, in the state of Nevada, an unpaid marker is treated as the equivalent of writing a bad check. Failing to pay a marker is treated as a class D felony and carries a penalty of fines and up to four years in prison.
Markieff Morris (11), the twin brother of Marcus Morris Sr. (L), is defending his sibling after his shocking arrest at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on Sunday
Morris Sr. was arrested on a felony fraud charge in Florida on an out-of-state warrant
However, Morris’ agent says his arrest was due to ‘an outstanding marker with a casino’
Morris is a free agent, having last played in 2024 with the 76ers and the Cavaliers
The Broward County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately return a request for comment from DailyMail.com.
Marcus has had a 13-year NBA career, beginning when the Houston Rockets selected him 14th overall in the 2011 NBA Draft.
He would go on to play for the Rockets, the Phoenix Suns, the Detroit Pistons, the Boston Celtics, the New York Knicks, and the Los Angeles Clippers.
Most recently, he played the 2023-24 season with the Philadelphia 76ers and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
This incident is not Marcus’ first run-in with the law. In 2012, he was arrested in Lawrence, Kansas on a battery charge after he and another person punched a bar employee while watching a Kansas-Missouri basketball game.
Marcus entered a diversion agreement, paid a $300 diversion fee, and $60 in court fees. He also agreed to not come in contact with the victim or the bar for one year. At the time the diversion agreement was made, the prosecutor said that the case would be dismissed if Morris fulfilled the terms and remained “out of trouble” during the 12 month period.
Three years later, Marcus, Markeiff, Baltimore Ravens safety Gerald Bowman, and two other assailants were arrested in connection with the assault of 36-year-old Eric Hood in Arizona. Both Marcus and Markeiff were playing on the Phoenix Suns at the time.
Hood, who had mentored the Morris twins, was allegedly ‘sending an inappropriate text message’ to the twins’ mother.
After a trial, the twins and Bowman were found not guilty while the other two assailants confessed.
