Juvenalis – the Roman writer, poet, and satirist of the late first and early second century A.D. – originated what should be the sacred aspiration of athletes the world over: “Anima Sana In Corpore Sano”, “A healthy mind in a healthy body”.
It is this noble goal that Griner somewhere along the way replaced with an unscrupulous rapaciousness for money and an undeserved sense of entitlement.
THE HEART OF SPORTS
Juvenalis’ immortal wise words are the embodiment of pure athleticism the world over from the beginning of time. Doubtless the tenets are, or were, the mission of the Olympics and of professional athletes everywhere. It should have been the precept of Brittney Griner.
PUTTING SPORTS INTO PERSPECTIVE
I deeply revere and admire the achievements of superior athletes such as Vincent “Bo” Jackson, the only athlete in history named both an NFL and MLB All-Star; Olympic gold medalist Alpine skier Ingemar Stenmark who won 86 World Cups; gymnasts Mary Lou Retton and Simone Biles; ice skaters Torville and Dean; snow boarder Shaun White; and many others. But who has a bigger impact on the world? A freakishly tall, 6’9” talented ball player or a highly educated danger to the world who speaks 6 languages including Farsi and who can have, and has sold arms to, among others, Taliban insurgents and had millions killed around the world including Americans? A man who can change history by impacting countries’ borders and populations.
WHORISH ARCHITECT OF THE SWAP
Who is Joe Biden? A man always known for his stupidity (see my Op-Ed “The Rise of the AMINO. American In Name Only”) he is now also known for his corruption and senility.
A known racist, Biden is obviously pandering to targets he thinks will vote for him in the presidential election of 2024: the uneducated, politically naïve segment of blacks as well as those stupid whites who fanatically value athletic achievement above all else.
And he willfully, knowingly endangers our country.
THE UNAMERICAN INGRATE
So who is Brittney Griner? Someone who pedestalized criminal losers Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and the now discredited Marxist, racist Black Lives Matter movement.
She said that to bring attention to police brutality our national anthem should never again be played at any sports events. (The overwhelming majority of blacks are murdered by other blacks and far more whites than blacks are killed by police.)
She thereby not only spat on America, but dishonored her father, Raymond Griner, a Vietnam Veteran who served as a police officer for 30 years.
A DOMESTIC VIOLENCE OFFENDER
Brittney Griner was arrested just 16 days before her wedding for beating her first wife, teammate Glory Johnson, giving her a concussion. Griner’s excuse? She was under stress due to the purchase of her first house and her upcoming wedding.
What stress? The stress of being a multi-millionaire and having enough money to buy a house when many people never in their lives get enough money to purchase their own homes?
As for planning a wedding, it can be tiring- but most people do not beat the stuffing out of their spouse-to-be. For their domestic violence, both received the longest suspension in WNBA history: 17 games.
No doubt due to her celebrity, Griner was only required to complete 26 weeks of anger management and domestic violence training instead of incarceration. In June 2016 she divorced Glory Johnson and in June 2018 married Cherelle Watson.
THE DRUG CRIME
In February 17, 2022 Griner was arrested in Russia at an airport for carrying hashish oil in vaping cannisters. She obviously was a habitual user, even a cannabis addict. She gave the Russian authorities the excuse that she had packed hastily, forgotten it was in her luggage, and her doctor had recommended cannabis for pain from her injuries. (Note that the doctor did not prescribe it. He recommended it.) And it is unknown whether she received this “recommendation” before her arrest or scrambled to get one after her arrest.
NO EXCUSE
Know that athletes when sent abroad with their teams for sports events, receive State Department instructions reviewing what is illegal to transport as well as the statutes governing customs of the country which visitors must adhere to. The coach and staff carefully apprise themselves of these instructions and advise the players.
Griner, even if traveling on her own, was well aware of prohibitions, having traveled countless times for many years. Not only that, but she admitted in court that she KNEW of Russia’s laws regarding cannabis. Brittney Griner had been playing on Russia’s MMA Ekaterinburg team for SIX SEASONS!
Did she have a sense of entitlement, assuming her celebrity would shield her from the consequences?
DISLOYALTY SOME WOULD CLASSIFY AS BORDERING ON TREASON
As to why she was traveling this time? To play on Russia’s UMMC Ekaterinburg basketball team where she received a 7-figure salary. Plainly put, she was going to play for the enemy.
Her $221,450 American salary – more than 93.32% of Americans, more than the $174,000 pay of US senators and congresspersons – wasn’t enough for her?
What kind of person will, regardless of the money, aid and abet in any way a country which is hostile to the United States, and on top of it is a Communist regime which throughout history has been responsible for the suffering and deaths of millions? Isn’t that analogous to, say, a child welfare activist deciding to accept employment from a pedophilic organization because of a huge salary? Isn’t this whoring?
I can shoot 3 bullets into the same hole but I would never accept, regardless of gargantuan remuneration, employment as a hitwoman for the Mafia, a foreign country, or anybody else. And neither would any decent person. What else would Griner do for the right price?
HOME AGAIN
On December 8th, after a 10-month detainment, Griner was released from what would have been a nine-year sentence.
Some will laud her as a martyr or a hero when in fact she dishonored America, athletes everywhere, especially women athletes, and did not uphold the high clean-living standard of sports. A former Olympian basketball team gold medalist, Griner has also besmirched the fundamental principles of the Olympic Charter which says “Olympism is a philosophy of life…Olympism seeks to create a way of life based on the joy of effort, the educational value of good example…and respect for universal fundamental ethical principles” including being “clean athletes” who don’t take drugs.
She is neither a martyr nor a hero. She is not a role model. She is a disgrace. Shame on Brittney Griner.
This prisoner swap of Brittney Griner for Viktor Bout is about as stupid as if some imbecile had exchanged the world’s most expensive and best diamond, the Koh-i-Noor (valued at up to nearly half a billion dollars), for a used Kleenex. Shame on Joe Biden.
