Suns' Morris twins charged with felony assault

Phoenix, AZ (SportsNetwork.com) - Phoenix Suns forwards Markieff and Marcus Morris are facing felony assault charges stemming from an alleged fight outside a recreation center in January.

According to police records obtained by the Associated Press, the twin brothers were two of five men that attacked Erik Hood following a high school basketball game held at a Phoenix gym on Jan. 24.

The altercation was believed to be over an inappropriate text message that Hood, who graduated from the same Philadelphia high school as the brothers, allegedly sent to the Morris' mother.

The Morris brothers, who are due to appear in court on May 7, released a statement regarding the incident on Tuesday.

"We have been advised by our attorneys not to discuss this case or make any statements about it," said the statement. "We are sorry for the distraction this has caused to our fans and the Suns."

Suns president of basketball operations Lon Babby also commented on the matter through a statement.

"We are disappointed to learn that Marcus and Markieff Morris have been charged," Babby said. "This is a serious matter, and we will treat it as such. However, at this time, we think it is most appropriate to continue to monitor the legal process as it unfolds before responding further."

Markieff Morris, who has spent his entire four-year career with the Suns, started all 82 games this past season and averaged personal bests of 15.3 points and 6.2 rebounds per game.

The Suns acquired Marcus Morris in a trade with Houston in February of 2013. The 25-year-old averaged 10.4 points and 4.8 rebounds over 81 games in 2014-15.

Both players signed multi-year contract extensions with the Suns prior to the start of the 2014-15 campaign.