OPINION | This article contains commentary that reflects the author's opinion.
WNBA player Brittney Griner’s past comments about the National Anthem have resurfaced online amid her 9-year prison sentence in Russia.
The 6-foot-9 star was found guilty of drug smuggling and possession and drug smuggling. The judge also fined her 1 million rubles.
Back in 2020, critics say Griner openly bashed America and vowed to protest during the National Anthem. She also refused to be present if the National Anthem was playing.
“I’m not going to be out there for the National Anthem,” Griner said. “I’m going to protest regardless.”
“If the league continues to want to play it, that’s fine. It will be all season long, I’ll not be out there. I feel like more are going to probably do the same thing. I can only speak for myself,” she added.
“I honestly feel we should not play the National Anthem during our season,” Griner said in 2020. “I think we should take that much of a stand.”
Griner used her platform as an athlete as a backdrop for social and political activism.
Although she claims her comments about the National Anthem were not meant “disrespect to our country,” many Americans don’t feel that way.
Fox News political commentator Tomi Lahren responded after learning about Griner’s Russian prison sentence by explaining, “On the bright side, B Griner won’t have to endure our National Anthem for 9 whole years!”
On the bright side, B Griner won’t have to endure our National Anthem for 9 whole years! What a win for her!
— Tomi Lahren (@TomiLahren) August 5, 2022
“What a win for her!” Lahren said mockingly, referring to how Griner may find a new appreciation for the U.S. given the harsh conditions endured by many people around the world.
“I don’t mean that in any disrespect to our country,” Griner said in 2020. “My dad was in Vietnam and a law officer for 30 years. I wanted to be a cop before basketball. I do have pride for my country.”
Nonetheless, this didn’t prevent Griner from protesting.
On the bright side, she has not had to hear the National Anthem for 170 days.https://t.co/t7tqWBjaBa
— Sebastian Gorka DrG (@SebGorka) August 6, 2022
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Fellow Phoenix Mercury player Brianna Turner on August 4, the day Griner was sentenced, defended her teammate.
Turner, too, is against the playing of “The Star-Spangled Banner” at WNBA games.
“I would love to individually respond and annihilate every negative viewpoint I receive but that would be a waste of my time,” Turner posted online. “At the end of the day many people lack compassion & critical thinking skills and it’s not my responsibility to teach that. Respectfully, get a life trolls.”
“I don’t have the capacity to respond to every hateful message about Brittney Griner,” she continued. “I think it’s easy to be an outsider and wish the worst. It’s easy to not know all the facts. It’s easy to spread hate on social media. I know many Americans lack compassion due to all the chaos … that happens regularly in our country.”
“BG [Brittney Griner] is my friend and teammate and one of the kindest people I know. Even before being detained in Russia she would receive hate from trolls [because] they didn’t like her looks or what she supported,” the athlete wrote. “Yet she continuously held her head high.”
