The Phoenix Mercury of the WNBA will be making “adjustments” to their travel arrangements after a “provocateur” confronted star Brittney Griner at the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport last week.
According to two the Associated Press, “two coaches and a handful of players” have suggested “more charter flights could help prevent any future run-ins with outsiders.”
Mercury coach Vanessa Nygaard said changes were coming.
“We will ensure that our players and our organization and our staff are safe,” she said. “We will be making (travel) adjustments that maybe should have happened before, but right now we’re going to prioritize the safety of our players and we’ve seen that the organization has supported us.”
Griner scored a season-high 29 points and notched six rebounds in an 85-82 victory following the incident.
Dallas star Dana Taurasi gave pregame advice to Griner and said the league must do better for its players.
“It’s unnerving to be in a situation like that, and unfortunately, it was literally the first time we were in public together,” Taurasi said. “That can’t happen for our players or coaches. The safety of everyone comes first; basketball is secondary to all that. People have families, and kids and to be put in that situation really is pretty disrespectful not only to BG but to our team, to the league. So hopefully they can take steps into making sure the security of our players throughout the league is at the forefront.”
