Phoenix Mercury’s Brittney Griner ‘allowed to fly privately’ after being harassed by YouTuber at DFW

The Phoenix Mercury has now reportedly been cleared to charter, changing their travel plans for the rest of the season after Brittney Griner and teammates were harassed last week while waiting to board a flight at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport.

The option to travel privately was not available at the start of the 2023-24 season, according to ESPNalthough league officials dispute that they gave the Mercury the luxury of allowing Griner to fly charter flights year-round.

The report claims that Mercury could potentially use public JSX charter flights for all team and staff members on both standard and “created” routes, with the latter not being given as an option to other WNBA teams.

It remains to be seen whether Phoenix will stick to its standardized travel arrangements or explore the alternative of flying privately.

Griner’s agent, Lindsay Kagawa Colas, was tight-lipped about the team’s plans, but told ESPN she was “fine” with the accommodations provided to Phoenix given the situation.

Griner was harassed and filmed by a YouTube personality on DFW on Saturday, June 10

On Friday, WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert confirmed to ESPN that changes have been made to Griner’s travel and safety plans.

There is no explanation as to why Griner flew commercially from Dallas to Indianapolis last Saturday, June 10. The league stated that the center had received approval to fly charter flights for all away games ahead of the 2023 WNBA season.

However, ESPN has now disclosed that the league has pre-approved Griner to fly private only twice, which WNBA officials “strongly dispute.”

The Mercury was told Griner could fly charter flights for the remainder of the season since the All-Star center and her teammates were harassed and filmed by a Blaze Media YouTube personality on Saturday. But her teammates may also be allowed to travel via the JXS option so that Griner is not separated from them.

Engelbert revealed to ESPN’s “Outside the Lines” that LA Sparks forward and WNBPA president Nneka Ogwumike was the person who suggested the JSX service after previously flying with the airline.

LA Sparks forward Nneka Ogwumike suggested the Mercury JSX fly for away games

The JSX service can be used by all teams, but only with certain protocols. JSX planes usually have a maximum capacity of 30 people, giving teams the option to buy out an entire flight for players and coaching staff.

JSX has a hub in Phoenix but does not have a presence in all other WNBA cities. Flights are usually scheduled with pre-set routes and times, which cannot be changed, according to WNBA rules. The league has communicated the policy to all teams involved.

JSX does allow flights outside the pre-set schedule, but those come at a higher price and the WNBA bans the practice, though that may change due to Griner’s high-profile case of jail time in Russia from February to December 2022.

Engelbert reiterated the league’s position, communicated in several statements since Saturday’s incident: that prior to the start of the season, the WNBA told the Mercury they could do “anything you want to do” regarding the team’s travel plans because ‘we recognize this unique situation.’

But ESPN revealed that the league did not make the broad suggestion public. Instead, it approved what Engelbert called a “hybrid plan” at a meeting in Dallas during the Women’s Final Four at the March Madness tournament in April.

JSX charter aircraft can accommodate a maximum capacity of 30 people and are based in Phoenix

The plan was for Griner to get two pre-approved charters “with the league having the option to approve more charters as needed, provided only Griner — not the entire team — could fly those planes,” ESPN reported. .

Griner and her teammates would travel standard JSX routes when available, and Griner would fly first class on commercial airlines when not chartering for all other trips.

A source told ESPN that’s why Griner showed up at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport on Saturday. The Mercury had traveled to Los Angeles on a JSX flight—the first road race of the season—before boarding another charter flight to Dallas, though there was no standard JSX route to Indianapolis, and so Griner was on the commercial flight.

“It shouldn’t have been commercial,” Terri Jackson, executive director of the WNBA players’ union, told ESPN on Friday.

WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert flies the Mercury privately for away games

What’s more, Jackson said Griner expressed her frustration at a WNBPA meeting on Thursday. The Mercury echoed the anger of the center.

She said, “We knew this was going to happen,” Jackson told ESPN. She said, “Terri, I’ve read the mail that comes in my locker.” It’s fan mail, but also a lot of hate mail.’

ESPN further revealed that Engelbert texted on Saturday, telling the Mercury player that “she knew how serious that situation was.” While it appears there is no acceptance of exactly how previous travel arrangements have been made, a similar situation for the rest of the season must be urgently avoided.

“We’re just working with Phoenix to make sure we have a good plan for the future,” Engelbert said, “certainly for Brittney and for the rest of the Phoenix Mercury.”

Griner sat out Friday night’s Phoenix game in Washington due to a hip injury. She was ruled out about 20 minutes before game time. It was the first match she missed since returning from her Russian captivity.