Cesar
In July 2020, amid the George Floyd protests that swept the country, WNBA star Brittney Griner vowed not to appear in court during the entire anthem season. With the much-appreciated news that the Biden administration obtained her release from a Russian prison in exchange for Viktor Bout,
It is reasonable to ask if Griner will commit to no longer protesting the anthem of the country that secured his freedom.
Despite the insistence of some on the left that America is systematically racist and homophobic, the country had the back of the legend of black and lesbian basketball, everybody was pulling for her and her family, and for nearly a year, the pressure to get her out of Russia came from all corners of society.
The excessive 9-year punishment that Griner received for possession of a few cans of cannabis oil seemed.
Be an apparent effort by Russian President Vladimir Putin to win influence, and it seems to have worked.
In exchange for it, the US has returned to Russia one of the world’s deadliest arms dealers, serving a 25-year sentence for crimes, including targeting Americans.
This summer, Griner wrote President Biden a handwritten memo that included the following: “On the 4th of July our family normally honors the service of those who have fought for our freedom, including my father, who was a Vietnam War veteran. It hurts thinking about how I usually celebrate this day because freedom means something completely different to me this year.”
After news broke that Griner was coming home and Paul Whelan, a U.S. Marine veteran was absence in the affair was not overlooked by Dallas Cowboys linebacker star Micah Parsons.
“Wait nah!! We left a marine?!! Hell nah,” Parsons posted to his Twitter account.
“Moments ago I spoke to Brittney Griner,” the tweet read. “She is safe. She is on a plane. She is on her way home.”
Piles also hopped on Instagram to share his excitement that Griner was coming home.
“Biden freed Brittney Griner. Biden got Brittney in the air right now eating that steak… Biden freed Brittney Griner aka BG. If I see Biden right now, I got an new nickname for him ‘Big State Biden,” said Piles.
Former President Barack Obama added, “Grateful for the long-overdue release of Brittney Griner today from Russian custody. Kudos to @POTUS and his administration for the difficult diplomatic work involved to make it happen. We’re looking forward to having Brittney back home.”
As for Parsons, he would later backtrack some of his comments on Twitter.
“Just spoke to some people that I respect and trust. I should have been more educated on the topic and not tweeted out of emotion for my family and other who have served. For that I apologize,” Parsons posted to Twitter.
“Also if what I’m told about the attempts to bring Ret Marine Paul Whelan home are true then the best outcome was accomplished. I pray Mr. Whelan comes home but am extremely happy for Brittney and her family. I am not too prideful to admit when I’ve made a mistake.”
