The WNBA is looking into a Saturday incident at a Dallas airport in which Brittney Griner and her Phoenix Mercury teammates were reportedly harassed by a social media “provocateur.”
Following a game against the Dallas Wings Friday, Griner and her teammates were reportedly followed and harassed by a “social media figure and provocateur” who continued to pelt Griner with questions after being asked to leave her alone, CBS Sports reported.
Griner’s teammate, Brianna Turner, tweeted about the alleged incident stating the team “nervously huddled in a corner” after being excessively harassed by “people following with cameras saying wild remarks.” Calling the incident unacceptable, Turner emphasized that, when traveling, teammember safety should be paramount and demanded better.
In response, the WNBA voiced their commitment to player safety and condemned the alleged harassment, calling it “inappropriate and unfortunate.”
“The safety of Brittney Griner and all WNBA players is our top priority. 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. We remain steadfastly committed to the highest standards of security for players,” the WNBA announced in a statement following the reported incident, according to CBS Sports.
Though the WNBA did not explicitly state who had reportedly confronted Griner and her team, Alex Stein, host of “Prime Time with Alex Stein,” announced the premier of the full Brittney Griner video on Twitter, scheduled to be available Sunday to view on YouTube.
Since the @WNBA is writing press releases about me…here is a snippet of my interaction with Brittney Griner today….
Watch the Full Video on my YouTube Channel Sunday Morning 10am Centralhttps://t.co/fe07WOHjct pic.twitter.com/FEnp8Vll6d
— Alex Stein #99 (@alexstein99) June 10, 2023
In a clip made available of the video confrontation, Stein can be seen walking alongside Griner and her teammates, asking the player if she still wants to boycott America, referencing her incarceration in Russia and subsequent release secured by the U.S. government. (RELATED: Brittney Griner Decides To Stand For National Anthe,, After Being Freed From Russian Prison)
Griner, who in 2020 stated the National Anthem did not belong in sports because it did not represent black Americans when it was written, was released from her nine-year-prison sentence in Russia after the Biden administration secured a trade with the Russian government for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, known as the “Merchant of Death.” Griner’s release came even as officials failed to secure the release of former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, who has been detained in Russia since 2018.
The Bring Our Families Home Campaign, an advocacy group which works to bring home Americans who are held hostage or detained in foreign countries, condemned Stein’s actions at the airport, calling them “unacceptable.”
“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,” organization spokesman Jonathon Franks stated in a release on Twitter.
Griner’s agent, Lindsay Kagawa Colas, also condemned the confrontation, stating that the incident has shown a need for enhanced security for traveling teams as well as chartered flights.
“Brittney Griner and the WNBA players are leaders who inspire hope for a better, more inclusive and less divided America,” Kagawa Colas said. “They are celebrated for the ways their activism inspires positive change. In doing that, they also become targets for hate, threats and violence. And today’s incident is a clear reminder of that. We cannot celebrate these women and their leadership without also protecting them. It’s past time for charters and enhanced security measures for all players,” Colas tweeted.
The Mercury also released a statement in which they announced they were reviewing the incident that took place at the airport.
“We are committed to our support of BG and advocating for all American hostages abroad,” the team statement read. “We will continue our support of marginalized communities and fighting the kind of hate that targeted us today. No one, regardless of identity, should ever fear for their safety.”