Jamal Murray’s Private Video On Full Display

With electric crossovers, acrobatic layups, and a burning desire to win, Kitchener native Jamal Murray led the Denver Nuggets on a successful postseason run in the NBA playoffs after advancing to the western conference finals. Despite the difficulty, Murray rose to the occasion and led the Nuggets with averages of 26.5 points per game, and 6.6 assists per game before losing to the Los Angeles Lakers (Golliver,2020). Murray was on point during the playoffs but was off the mark after accidentally exposing his sex tape to his Instagram storyline. This blunder caused a social media uproar as his fans seen this video before having it taken down.

Murray later blamed the incident on a hacker instead of taking full responsibility for his actions that impacted himself and his team. Being a public figure Murray should have been transparent with his fans and organization. After consulting Bowen’s fifteen ethical guidelines when utilizing social media, I created a list below (Bowen,2013):

1) Be fair and prudent — Jamal Murray’s sex video was exposed to millions of his young fans who idolize him. It was inappropriate, and he did not act like a professional.

2) Avoid deception- Instead of admitting the mistake and taking full accountability, he blamed the incident on a hacker.

3) Maintain dignity and respect- His sexual activity was broadcasted over various social media platforms and that impacted his dignity and self-respect because high profile athletes are always being watched as heroes and role models.

4) Eschew Secrecy- N/A.

5) Is it Reversible? — The video circulated throughout social media, so his blunder cannot be reversed because information and videos that appear on the internet cannot be completely removed.

6) Be transparent- N/A.

7) Clearly Identify- The video was posted on Murray’s Instagram page accidentally.

8) Rational Analysis- To the Denver Nuggets organization and his teammates, fans, etc. It was an embarrassing video that surfaced.

9) Emphasize clarity- This guideline does not fit the incident with Jamal Murray.

10) Disclose- N/A.

11) Verify sources and data- Murray put out the rumor that his phone was hacked and was uploaded onto his Instagram account without his consent, or knowledge.

12) Establish responsibility- After the video was uploaded Murray failed to acknowledge immediate accountability for the embarrassing moment, and the disturbance it caused.

13) Examine intention- The intent of this video was not good because fans looking for updates on his basketball progress unfortunately accessed a sexual video.

14) Encourage the good- The video did bring engagement because many people had opinions on Murray and the woman involved in the video. However, the discussion was not positive and character-building.

15) Consistency builds trust- Murray has not had issues in the NBA off the court, so this blunder should not be looked at too deeply even though he is the star player of the Denver Nuggets.

Overall, Murray did not use good judgement posting this video and he did not use social media responsibly. Being a recognizable athlete that represents the NBA has a lot of responsibilities, and he did not consider the young fans that have been exposed to the video. Murray should have taken immediate responsibility after the video leaked accompanied by an apology to his organization and fans. However, it is not a terrible incident that will gravely impact his career. Moving forward Murray should be mindful of everything he posts and continue to focus on being a great Canadian basketball athlete aspiring to become an NBA champion.

Bibliography

Bowen, S. (2013). Using classic social media cases to distill ethical guidelines for digital engagement. Journal of Mass Media Ethics, 28, 119–133.

Golliver, B. (2020). Jamal Murray is the delight of the NBA playoff bubble. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2020/09/23/jamal-murray-nuggets-lakers/.