Soon after being released from a Russian prison, Phoenix Mercury star Brittney Griner announced her intention to return to the court, prompting reports that she would require a private aero plane owing to security reasons. However, the Wall Street Journal has reported that the league made no adjustments to permit Griner to fly charter for the whole season.
Griner’s travel itinerary would be “confidential,” according to WNBA commissioner Cathy Englebert, and everything appeared to be going according to plan. That changed on Saturday after she received verbal abuse from a man the league referred to be a “social media figure and provocateur” at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport.
The event, which happened as the Mercury were travelling to Indianapolis for a Sunday game, is currently under investigation by the league. On Twitter, a YouTuber by the name of Alex Stein shared a video clip in which he can be seen shouting political questions at Griner as she walks with her teammates. A security guard pushed him away in an attempt to stop him from recording while this was happening.
Head coach Vanessa Nygaard of the Mercury began the pregame press conference by reading a statement addressing the incident from her phone prior to the team’s matchup with the Indiana Fever on Sunday:
“As everyone by now likely knows, yesterday there was an incident with BG and our team at the Dallas airport. No one should be a victim of targeted harassment. I’m grateful that our team and our staff are physically OK. Most of all, I’m grateful that BG has been back here in the United States for 185 days now. If her being home makes some people mad, I think that obviously says more about them than it does about her.
Griner, who excelled in college at Baylor University, roughly two hours away from the Wings’ home arena at the University of Texas-Arlington, was making a special return to Dallas for the game. Griner was born and raised in Houston.
Since Griner’s emotional return to the league on the road against the Los Angeles Sparks on May 19, the Mercury have only taken two road trips, both of which were problematic.
Suggested Read: Giants RB Saquon Barkley to miss minicamp amid contract negotiations
