After nearly 10 months in a Russian prison colony, Brittney Griner was finally released following drug charges and a surprising nine-year prison sentence. And now that she’s back home and even making public appearances, her next step is to get back on the basketball court as she plans to play for the Phoenix Mercury this season. But that could be a little more difficult than expected.
Now that Brittney Griner is a much more high profile and now controversial figure following her release, she is expected to need extra security, according to WNBA insider Ramona Shelburne of ESPN. This could potentially include private flights – which could set up quite an issue for the league.
“The issue of private air travel has come to the forefront of free agent conversations around the WNBA, multiple sources told ESPN, because of the assumption that Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner will need to fly privately due to security concerns after she was released from a Russian prison in December,” Shelburne wrote on ESPN. “If Griner were to fly privately, the league would have to address whether her teammates on the Mercury would fly privately with her. That would raise the question of fairness for the other teams in the league, which are barred from flying privately.”
It’s certainly a difficult situation, but the WNBA will have to figure it out because Griner is one of the biggest names in the entire sport.
[ESPN]
