On Saturday, Brittney Griner was traveling with the Phoenix Mercury to their weekend game. Prior to their scheduled commercial flight to Indianapolis out of Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, “Griner was confronted by a YouTube ‘provocateur.’”
Alex Stein, a YouTuber, posted a video on Sunday, clearly depicting the incident, where he shouted at Griner, questioning her “on topics ranging from whether she hated America to whether the trade for a Russian prisoner was a fair deal to obtain her release from Russia last year.”
According to Griner’s teammate Brianna Turner, people at the Dallas airport were following the team, with cameras aimed at the group, “saying wild remarks.” Turner tweeted, “Excessive harassment,” continuing “Our team nervously huddled in a corner unsure how to move about. We demand better.”
For Griner, who was just recently released after a near 10 month-long detention in Russia after an incident in a Moscow airport, this could have been extremely triggering.
But luckily the unfortunate incident did not interfere with Griner’s play against the WNBA’s Indiana Fever. The following day, Griner “scored a season high 29 points and grabbed six rebounds in an 85-82 victory, just the second this season for the Mercury.”
Since the season began, Griner’s security has been a top priority and concern. Since learning about what occurred at the Dallas airport, many have come forward with messages of support for Griner.
“Accosting a recently returned hostage like this is unacceptable, and we urge social media companies to prohibit the monetization of any resulting content. Our Campaign stands with Brittney, her teammates, and the Phoenix Mercury,” said the Bring Our Families Home Campaign, an advocacy group working to return Americans back home, who have been detained or held hostage in foreign countries.
Since the WNBA began in 1997, teams have flown via commercial flights during the regular season. Purportedly, the WNBA is against charter planes because “it could create a competitive advantage for teams who can afford to pay for them.”
The Women’s National Basketball Players Association released a statement after the incident, writing in part “What BG and all of her PHX teammates experienced today was a calculated confrontation that left them feeling very unsafe. Everyone who was paying attention knew this would happen. WE could have and should have been more proactive.”
“Allowing teams to fly charter is ONLY about player health and safety, and until the league and teams take this issue seriously, situations like this will continue to occur,” the statement reads.
“Prior to the season, the WNBA worked together with the Phoenix Mercury and BG’s team to ensure her safety during her travel, which included charter flights for WNBA games and assigned security personnel with her at all times,” said the league in a statement, adding, “We remain steadfastly committed to the highest standards of security for players.”