Thursday morning it was announced that WNBA superstar Brittney Griner was officially coming home. U.S. President Joe Biden announced early Thursday morning that Griner had been released from a Russian prison as part of a prisoner swap.
The news was stunning on several fronts as recent reports seemed to suggest that while Griner’s release before the end of the year was possible, it didn’t seem likely given the stalling tactics used by Russian officials. It was also clear that Russia was using Griner as a bargaining chip to get their own prisoner back.
As soon as the news had been announced, many people started to look around for clues to suggest that this decision was coming. That’s when a lot of people took note of an Instagram post from actor Vin Diesel in late November that read “I need Brittney Griner home before Christmas.”
Vin Diesel sends a message pic.twitter.com/yFAATTn2hW
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) November 28, 2022
Brittney Griner is now coming home before Christmas. For many, it’s clear that The Fast & The Furious star deserves some credit for pushing negotiations between the two countries along, lest either of them run afoul of Riddick himself.
Vladimir Putin seeing Vin Diesel driving a camaro in the sky to come get Britney Griner: pic.twitter.com/Lzy1daiEKc
— CASH THE STAMPEDE. (@KINGDALLASCASH) December 8, 2022
Vin Diesel is in possession of NOS, Torpedos, and Flying Space cars. They did NOT want the smoke https://t.co/jE7VMiksgE
— ICE (@Makyle_Ice) December 8, 2022
I’ll never doubt Vin Diesel ever again. pic.twitter.com/4C98ZVwqhU
— Timothy Bella (@TimBella) December 8, 2022
Vin Diesel kept his promise #Family pic.twitter.com/bFI8Ow1LbV
— Swoosh (@JohnnyHSD) December 8, 2022
Imma give Vin Diesel credit for this one. https://t.co/rQDH8qsibw pic.twitter.com/bKBJc78Piy
— Gifdsports (@gifdsports) December 8, 2022
Obviously, the credit is a bit tongue in cheek, but then again, if Griner shows up in the next Fast & The Furious movie, we’ll have to wonder if that was part of the negotiations.
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.