Britney Griner Airport Video Goes Viral On Social Media

After Saturday’s “excessive harassment” of Phoenix Mercury star Brittney Griner at a Dallas airport, several WNBA players have called for the league to do more to ensure player safety while traveling.

After a 90-77 loss to the Dallas Wings on Friday, the Mercury were on their way to Indianapolis on Saturday morning when an “inappropriate and unfortunate” argument happened, as stated by the NBA.

Brianna Turner, a player for the Phoenix Suns, claimed that spectators were following the Mercury around with cameras and yelling “wild remarks” at the team. “Our team nervously huddled in a corner, unsure of how to move about,” Turner remembered on Twitter.

WNBA commissioner Dana Wanzer claimed the event “was orchestrated by a social media figure and provocateur” who targeted Griner, a six-time All-Star incarcerated for over 10 months in Russia for transporting hash oil.

Someone using the Twitter handle @alexstein99 tweeted a photo of themselves “calling out Brittney Griner” in an airport and a short clip in which they yelled at Griner that she “hates America.” He hinted that the actual footage would soon be available.

The Mercury has stated that it is “reviewing the incident.” The group continued, “We are committed to our support of BG and advocating for all American hostages abroad,” in their statement. 

We will keep fighting against bigotry like the kind that attacked us today and standing with those who are disenfranchised. 

It is unacceptable that anyone, regardless of who they are, ever feels threatened. The following measures will be determined in conjunction with the WNBA.

As the WNBA put it, “The safety of Brittney Griner and all WNBA players is our top priority.”

The WNBA and the Phoenix Mercury, and BG’s team coordinated before the season to “ensure her safety during her travel,” the statement read. 

This includes charter planes to WNBA games and having security guards always accompany her. 

We’re still dedicated to protecting our users with military-grade encryption.  

The event brings up again the necessity of charter planes for WNBA clubs to ensure the safety of its players. 

Before, WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert claimed it was “just not in the cards right now” without financial support. According to Engelbert’s calculations, chartering all 12 teams for the entire season would cost over $20 million.

The leading airlines have been contacted. We have enquired with charter firms. I’ve been trying to improve ever since I entered the league… “I’m all ears if we can find a way to get it sponsored or funded,” she remarked earlier this year.

In response, the Women’s National Basketball Players Association issued a statement saying, “Every commercial flight forced upon our players is a threat to their health and safety,” particularly Griner, who has security concerns following her release from Russian detainment in December.

BG and her Phoenix Mercury teammates were the victims of “a calculated confrontation that left them feeling very unsafe,” the WNPBA stated in a statement released on Saturday. 

Those who had been paying attention expected this to occur. We should have taken more initiative and could have done better. We beg the league and the teams not to put off changing the travel policy any longer.

Turner agreed when asked about the importance of player safety during travel after Saturday’s event. It’s never okay to follow someone with a camera as they make outrageous comments. Abuse to an extreme degree.”

Engelbert and the WNBA certainly felt intense internal and external pressure to increase the charter program for the 2023 season, so they did so in April. 

The WNBA playoffs, the Commissioner’s Cup game, and “select” regular season games where teams have back-to-back games planned will all require chartering this year.

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