Gunma Crane Thunders guard Marcus Morrison on Tuesday morning was arrested on suspicion of marijuana possession, according to several published reports.
Gunma Prefectural Police arrested Morrison at 6:55 a.m. at his home in Isesaki, Gunma Prefecture. The Cannabis Control Law was cited for the arrest, news reports stated. Drug paraphernalia was also seized by law enforcement officials.
Police are conducting an investigation, it was reported.
In a statement made to Gunma police, Morrison denied the charges and claimed the drugs were placed in his bag in the United States without his knowledge and then transported to Japan, according to statements carried on Japanese newspapers' websites on Tuesday night.
Morrison was unavailable for comment on Tuesday evening.
The Crane Thunders are a third-year Eastern Conference franchise in the 22-team bj-league.
As a key reserve, the 198-cm veteran guard appeared in Gunma's first 28 games (two starts). He's the Crane Thunders' second-leading scorer (13.0 points), trailing only forward Carlos Dixon in that department (17.1)
The 30-year-old Morrison, a Middle Tennessee State product, has previously played professional basketball in Israel, Indonesia, Mexico and Chile, as well as for the Western Basketball Association's Murfreesboro Musicians, a Tennessee-based team, and the bj-league's Hamamatsu Higashimikawa Phoenix.
Gunma (9-19) is led by first-year head coach Charlie Parker, a longtime NBA assistant coach.
Parker did not respond to an email message on Tuesday night seeking comment before this story was published.
The Crane Thunders, who hosted Sunday's bj-league All-Star Game, return to action on Saturday against the visiting Tokyo Cinq Reves 4-26), who have lost 15 consecutive games.