Brittney Griner has been harassed over a prisoner swap that saw a notorious arms dealer handed over to Russia so she could be released after smuggling weed into Moscow.
The WNBA star, 32, was confronted by conservative YouTube star Alex Stein at Dallas Fort-Worth Airport on Saturday.
Stein said, “Hey Britt, do you still… do you still want to boycott America?
“What about the Merchant of Death, Brittney?”
Griner didn’t seem to respond to the bickering, though one woman in her group was heard calling Stein a “weirdo.” He was stopped by a male guard of the controversial star.
Stein’s questions referenced Griner’s earlier claim that sports players should not stand for the national anthem prior to games. She herself stopped doing this in 2020, after the murder of George Floyd, but has since changed her mind and resumed.
The comment ‘Merchant of Death’ referred to arms dealer Viktor Bout. He was held in a US prison for fomenting 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) walked through the airport with her Phoenix Mercury team
A conservative influencer harassed WNBA star Brittney Griner at Dallas Airport on Saturday
Griner was arrested in February 2022 with cannabis cartridges at Moscow airport while traveling to Russia to play for a women’s basketball team.
Marijuana is completely illegal in Russia, and Griner was subsequently convicted of drug smuggling in October 2022. She claims she had permission to use the drug medicinally in her native Arizona.
The sportswoman was arrested just before Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine, and news of her imprisonment did not emerge until the following month.
Griner was sentenced to nine years in a prison colony, but was released in December after the Biden administration agreed to Bout’s release.
Her release led to mixed reactions. Many said she should never have been jailed for carrying a drug that she is 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 harsh penalties she would receive for violating the statutes there.
The WNBA and its team – Phoenix Mercury – are looking into the incident, which occurred as the team was traveling home from their last game in Dallas on Saturday.
Griner had played in the WNBA hours earlier and the team went home on 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 the team’s confrontation 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 exactly what happened.
Griner and her supporters had lobbied for charter flights after she returned from detention in Russia, saying the highly publicized case put her and others’ safety at risk. The league granted Griner permission to book its own charter flights to road races.
Mercury player Brianna Turner said in a tweet people at the airport followed the team with cameras “making wild comments.”
Griner spent nearly 10 months in a Russian penal colony for drug smuggling last year
She was involved in a high-profile prisoner exchange with ‘Merchant of Death’ Viktor Bout (above)
“Excessive harassment,” Turner tweeted. “Our team huddled nervously in a corner, not knowing how to get around. We demand better.’
The WNBA added charter flights for the playoffs this season, but only a handful of back-to-back 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 typically does not allow teams to charter, as doing so could provide a competitive advantage to teams that can afford to pay for it.
“Prior to the season, the WNBA worked with the Phoenix Mercury and BG team to ensure her safety during her journey, including charter flights for WNBA games and permanent security personnel with her,” the league’s statement read. “We remain steadfastly committed to the highest safety standards for players.”
Griner steps back on American soil after arriving at Kelly Field in San Antonio, Texas
The exterior of the IK-2 penal colony in the Mordovian town of Yavas, where Griner was held
The WNBA players’ union issued a statement on Saturday saying the situation at the airport “makes it very clear that the issue of charter travel is NOT a matter of ‘competitive advantage.’
“What BG and all of her PHX teammates experienced today was a calculated confrontation that left them feeling very unsafe,” the WNBPA statement read. “Anyone who was paying attention knew this was going to happen.”
The Mercury released a statement saying the team will work with the league on next steps.
“We are committed to supporting BG and advocating for all American hostages abroad,” the team statement read. “We will continue our support to marginalized communities and continue to fight the kind of hate that afflicts us today. No one, regardless of identity, should ever fear for his safety.’