This season, Brittney Griner will be returning to the basketball court for the first time in over a year after she was arrested, convicted, and sentenced to a Russian penal colony after Russian authorities found vape cartridges containing cannabis oil in her luggage. But after a high-level prisoner swap, Griner is back in the United States preparing for the upcoming WNBA season – but she’s not going to be treated like just another player.
Throughout the offseason, it’s become clear that Brittney Griner would need extra security and likely private travel to and from games as she has recently become a controversial political figure due to her imprisonment in Russia. And this week, WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert revealed that the league is working on a special and “confidential” plan for Griner.
“We’ve been working with Brittney and Phoenix since she signed and our security experts,” the commissioner told the Associated Press, according to ArizonaSports.com. “Working on a plan, but we want it to be confidential. She wants to travel with the team sometimes. Work as much as we can making sure we are following advice of our team. We have a very good plan, but I’m not going to share more specifics.”
It’s unlikely that fans will know the extent of the special accommodations for Griner, but it’s clear that they are being made.
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