The WNBA has released a statement after Phoenix Mercury star Brittney Griner was allegedly harassed at a Dallas airport on Saturday, via Josh Weinfuss.
The league said the following in the statement, “As we gather additional information on today's incident at the Dallas Airport, it has come to our attention that this was orchestrated by a social media figure and provocateur. His actions were inappropriate and unfortunate.”
Brianna Turner, a five-year veteran of the WNBA and Griner's Mercury teammate, shed some light on the airport incident in a post on her Twitter account earlier Saturday.
Turner said that people were following the Mercury with cameras saying “wild remarks.” Turner called the incident “excessive harassment“, adding that she and her teammates were “nervously huddled in a corner.”
Griner's agent, Lindsay Kagawa Colas, also released a statement.
“Brittney Griner and the @WNBA players are leaders who inspire hope for a better, more inclusive and less divided America. 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.”
Griner made her highly anticipated return to the Mercury in May after she was detained in Russia for nearly 10 months following a February 2022 arrest at a Moscow airport.
Russian Federal Customs Serice claimed it found hashish oil and vape cartridges in her luggage.
The Mercury star was sentenced to nine years in Russian prison, with the United States calling her detainment wrongful. After months of stressful times and uncertainty, Griner was released in a prisoner exchange for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout in December.
A seven-time WNBA All-Star, Griner has averaged 21.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 1.5 assists on 64 percent shooting from the field in six games for the Mercury this season.
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