Emoni Bates releases lengthy statement following arrest, reinstatement

Emoni Bates made headlines last month when he was arrested on felony gun charges. He later got the charges dropped and, eventually, was reinstated by Eastern Michigan earlier this month.

Now, he’s speaking out.

Bates, the former top-rated recruit and Memphis forward, posted a lengthy statement about the situation Wednesday afternoon. He first thanked his family, supporters and lawyer for their support before opening up about how he wants to change himself following the incident.

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“The crazy thing about living your life on state is the inability to escape judgement, and experience the growing pains of life as a normal adolescent — privately,” Bates wrote. “I hold myself accountable for making a poor decision, and hope you can forgive me as I grow because this will not be my last mistake, however; a lasting stigma to remind me of the severity of such a mistake.

“I hope my mistake can inspire others to think before acting. Growth is a lifetime experience, I will harness the value within this lesson and continue to be of service to my community.”

Bates was pulled over in September for failing to stop at an intersection and police said they found a firearm in the vehicle. He was then charged with carrying a concealed weapon and altering the ID marks on a weapon — both felonies.

But earlier this month, Bates’ lawyer worked out a deal to officially drop the charges. That’s when the university moved to reinstate him and allow him to resume basketball activities.

Bates is preparing for his first year at Eastern Michigan after leaving Memphis via the transfer portal over the offseason. He was a highly touted recruit out of Michigan, coming in as the No. 5 player in the nation and the No. 1 player in the state from the class of 2021, according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.