Former Baylor and current LSU women’s basketball coach Kim Mulkey created headlines earlier this week when she refused to comment on the arrest of her old championship pupil, Brittney Griner.
Griner has been in Russian custody since February, when authorities allege the star was found with hashish oil in her baggage while traveling with her Russian Premiere League team, UMMC Ekaterinburg. Griner has since pled guilty to the charges and been sentenced to nine years in a penal colony.
Mulkey coached Griner at Baylor. Former players from that title-winning team have blasted Mulkey while citing Griner as the catalyst to the Bears’ championship efforts.
Megan Rapinoe, a World Cup champion women’s soccer player, is the latest person to dogpile Mulkey for her callous comments. The United States Women’s Soccer forward took to Instagram to let her feelings on the issue be known.
“This is honestly just cruel and evil and even more honestly,” Rapinoe wrote on Instagram. “IT’S SHOWING SIS. The hate is seeping out.”
As of this writing, Griner remains in Russian custody. United States president Joe Biden’s attempts to negotiate for Griner’s release have proven unfruitful, as have efforts by former boxing champion Roy Jones Jr.
Griner is scheduled for release in 2031.
