Brittney Griner Complains About Not Being Allowed to Fly Private, Doesn't Get Much Sympathy
WNBA star Brittney Griner complained on Monday that the league previously did not offer her preferential treatment by allowing her to fly privately after she was heckled at an airport earlier this month.
Griner was confronted by conservative social media personality Alex Stein at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport on June 10.
Stein asked the Phoenix Mercury center, “Do you wanna boycott America, Brittney?” and a number of other questions in a viral clip.
As people got in between the two, Stein shouted, “She hates America! What about the merchant of death, Britt?”
WARNING: The following video contains language some viewers might find offensive.
Alex Stein Dunks on Brittney Griner!@WNBA @TheWNBPA @espn
— Alex Stein #99 (@alexstein99) June 11, 2023
The “merchant of death” comment was a reference to the Biden administration’s December prisoner swap that saw Griner freed from a Russian prison in exchange for notorious arms dealer Viktor Bout.
Griner had previously said she did not believe the national anthem should be played at sporting events.
On Monday, ESPN reported that Griner addressed the media about a new WNBA policy that allows her to choose her own flights.
“I think we should have already had the option to use a different airline, a more private airline, charter flights,” Griner said.
“It’s a shame that it had to get to rock bottom because I feel like waiting for something to happen and then making a change, you don’t know what that something’s going to be. We’ve all seen what can happen in this world. And when you play the ‘let’s wait and see’ game, you’re really playing with fire. You’re playing with people’s lives.”
“It’s just a shame that it took so damn long, honestly,” she said of no longer having to fly commercially.
ESPN shared Griner’s complaints on Twitter, where many people were less than sympathetic to them:
Start creating revenue, that might help..
— John A (@CaptJohn77) June 27, 2023
If your business made more revenue this issue is over
— New York Jets Fan (@Jet_Geno) June 27, 2023
Griner was traded for a Russian arms dealer and her destiny is to bankrupt the WNBA with charter air travel.
— brrrr chapo ♻️🤑 | top 1% (@cBeastwin) June 27, 2023
She shouldn’t be getting any special treatment
— Anthony Perez (@APFromNY) June 27, 2023
Griner and the rest of the Mercury struggled to a 2-10 start this season that resulted in the firing of head coach Vanessa Nygaard on Sunday. Nygaard has been replaced by interim coach Nikki Blue, according to ESPN.
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