Brittney Griner has been heckled over a prisoner swap that saw a notorious arms dealer handed over to Russia so she could be freed after smuggling weed into Moscow.
The 32-year-old WNBA star was confronted by conservative YouTube star Alex Stein at the Dallas Fort-Worth airport on Saturday.
Stein said, ‘Hey Britt, do you still…do you still want to boycott America?
“And the merchant of death, Brittney?”
Griner did not appear to respond to the heckling, although a woman in his group could be heard calling Stein a “weird”. He was restrained from the controversial star by a male security guard.
Stein’s questions referred to Griner’s earlier assertion that sportspeople shouldn’t have to defend the national anthem before games. She stopped doing it herself in 2020, following the murder of George Floyd, but has since changed her mind and started doing it again.
The “merchant of death” remark referred to arms dealer Viktor Bout. He was being held in a US prison for stoking some of the world’s worst conflicts, but was released and flown to Russia on a private jet in exchange for Griner’s freedom.
Griner (center) could be seen walking through the airport with his Phoenix Mercury team
A conservative influencer heckled WNBA star Brittney Griner at the Dallas airport on Saturday
Griner was arrested with weed canisters at Moscow airport in February 2022, while traveling to Russia to play for a women’s basketball team there.
Marijuana is completely illegal in Russia, and Griner was later convicted of drug trafficking in October 2022. She claims she had permission to take the drug for medical purposes in her native Arizona.
The sportswoman was arrested just before Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine, and news of her imprisonment only emerged the following month.
Griner was sentenced to nine years in a penal colony, but was released in December after the Biden administration agreed to free Bout.
His release drew mixed reactions. Many said she should never have been jailed for carrying a drug she was legally allowed to use at home.
But critics said Griner should have been more careful and respectful of Russian laws, and that she should have been well aware of the stiff penalties she would face for breaking laws there.
The WNBA and its team – Phoenix Mercury – are looking into the incident, which occurred as the team returned home from its final game in Dallas on Saturday.
Griner had played hours earlier in the WNBA, and the team was heading home Saturday
Griner is pictured running her bag through a scanner after being approached by a sniffer dog at Moscow airport in February 2022
In a statement on Saturday, the league said it was investigating team break-in with a “social media figure” whose “actions were inappropriate and unfortunate.”
“The safety of Brittney Griner and all WNBA players is our top priority,” the league said, without specifying what exactly happened.
Griner and his supporters had been pushing for charter flights after he returned from custody in Russia, saying the high-profile case jeopardized his safety and the safety of others. The league granted Griner permission to book his own charter flights for road games.
Mercury Player Brianna Turner said in a tweet people at the airport followed the team with cameras “saying crazy remarks”.
Griner spent nearly 10 months in a Russian penal colony for drug trafficking last year
She was involved in a high-profile prisoner swap with ‘merchant of death’ Viktor Bout (above)
“Excessive harassment,” Turner tweeted. “Our team nervously huddled in a corner not knowing how to move. We demand better.
The WNBA added charter flights for the playoffs this season, but only a handful of consecutive regular season games were scheduled for such flights.
WNBA teams have flown commercially during the regular season since the league’s inception in 1997. The league generally does not allow teams to rent because it could create a competitive advantage for teams that can afford to hire them. pay.
“Prior to the season, the WNBA worked with the Phoenix Mercury and BG team to ensure their safety during their trip, which included charter flights to WNBA games and assigned security personnel at all times,” the report said. league press release. “We remain firmly committed to the highest safety standards for players.”
Griner is pictured returning to US soil after arriving at Kelly Field in San Antonio, Texas
The exterior of the IK-2 penal colony in the town of Yavas in Mordovia, where Griner was held
The WNBA Players Union released a statement on Saturday, saying the situation at the airport shows “quite clearly that the issue of charter travel is NOT a ‘competitive advantage’ issue.”
“What BG and all of his PHX teammates went through today was a calculated confrontation that left them in great danger,” the WNBPA statement read. “Everyone who was paying attention knew this was coming.”
The Mercury released a statement indicating that the team will work with the league on next steps.
“We are committed to supporting BG and defending all American hostages overseas,” the team statement read. “We will continue to support marginalized communities and fight the kind of hate that targeted us today. No one, regardless of identity, should ever fear for their safety.
