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SportsGuru
Joined: 20 May 2005
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 Posted: 12/08/22 8:11 am ::: Brittney Griner Freed |
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| Just heard on MSNBC that Brittney Griner is Freed as part of prisoner swap
Last edited by SportsGuru on 12/08/22 8:18 am; edited 3 times in total |
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scullyfu
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WfanFrJmp
Joined: 24 May 2016
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| Posted: 12/08/22 8:16 am ::: |
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ChiSky54
Joined: 19 Jun 2019
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WNBA 09
Joined: 26 Jun 2009
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| Posted: 12/08/22 9:21 am ::: |
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| If when she lands and chooses to return to basketball in the WNBA she will change the womens game and the way it's viewed by the public for the rest of time. This could be what propels the WNBA into a next level audience and sponsor wise All eyes will be on the WNBA 2023 if BG decides to still play which is very possible / realistic since she was only away 10 months. It could be simulated as a player who tears their ACL and misses 10 months and returns. BG still has the ability to be BG on the court maybe a bit rusty but she's got enough time to get her timing back for basketball . Sounds terrible to think BG's prison time will become a benefit to growing the WNBA but its factual . The non-casual fan , the non sports fans ALL now know who brittney Griner is and they will be glued in watching her and the WNBA the entire season to get a glimpse of the type of person and player she has become post locked up abroad.
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WNBA 09
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| Posted: 12/08/22 10:05 am ::: |
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| BG's first priority upon landling back on home soil needs to be establishing a book deal and get that published asap. She will forever be a US icon/ legend and she will be in history books til the end of time .
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Stonington_QB
Joined: 05 Jul 2013
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| Posted: 12/08/22 10:15 am ::: |
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| Griner exchanged for Viktor Bout and Paul Whelan remains in prison. I don't think this will be the national celebration some of you think it will be. I mean, great for BG and everything but at what cost?
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CalwbbFan
Joined: 26 Mar 2007
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| Posted: 12/08/22 10:19 am ::: |
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| No one is forgetting Whelan. His own brother said making the deal for Griner was a good thing since it was the deal that could be made now. Biden spoke about Whelan as did Griner’s wife.
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WNBA 09
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| Posted: 12/08/22 11:03 am ::: |
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| Stonington_QB wrote: |
| Griner exchanged for Viktor Bout and Paul Whelan remains in prison. I don't think this will be the national celebration some of you think it will be. I mean, great for BG and everything but at what cost? |
It is not as though the US did not make the attempt for a 2 for 1 . Russia simply said no , you either take Griner for Bout or you get no one . So they took what they could get . The 2 cases are not the same and russia feels as though Whelan's is more severe. That's not Brittneys fault unfortunately as Whelan has been tied into her freedom . I applaud Biden for making the tough move and not punishing griner for not being able to get whelan at the same time. If anything everyone should shift focus to free whelan propaganda instead of blaming Griner for him not being home. This topic is very touchy so i vote we focus on celebrating her instead of shining any negative light on her freedom.
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shontay33
Joined: 01 Jun 2006
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| Posted: 12/08/22 11:29 am ::: |
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| WNBA 09 wrote: |
| Stonington_QB wrote: |
| Griner exchanged for Viktor Bout and Paul Whelan remains in prison. I don't think this will be the national celebration some of you think it will be. I mean, great for BG and everything but at what cost? |
It is not as though the US did not make the attempt for a 2 for 1 . Russia simply said no , you either take Griner for Bout or you get no one . So they took what they could get . The 2 cases are not the same and russia feels as though Whelan's is more severe. That's not Brittneys fault unfortunately as Whelan has been tied into her freedom . I applaud Biden for making the tough move and not punishing griner for not being able to get whelan at the same time. If anything everyone should shift focus to free whelan propaganda instead of blaming Griner for him not being home. This topic is very touchy so i vote we focus on celebrating her instead of shining any negative light on her freedom. |
Celebration definitely needed. I was watching a snippet of CBS’s coverage and they interviewed a former higher up in the state department. He said that they could have done a swap for Paul Wehlan in 2018 but the administration in charge didn’t want to do it. The same administration was also making deals with Russia. So obviously, Paul Wehlan wasn’t even a priority. Russia was the one who refused the two for one swap.
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readyAIMfire53
Joined: 20 Nov 2004
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| Posted: 12/08/22 12:19 pm ::: |
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| Stonington_QB wrote: |
| Griner exchanged for Viktor Bout and Paul Whelan remains in prison. I don't think this will be the national celebration some of you think it will be. I mean, great for BG and everything but at what cost? |
The former President is the one who refused to make a deal to bring Paul Whelan home - get that straight! Let's celebrate BG's freedom and not sour the deal that was made by THIS President. THIS President tried to also bring Paul Whelan home but the Russians would not agree.
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johnjohnW
Joined: 11 Aug 2020
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| Posted: 12/08/22 12:57 pm ::: |
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Any freed American should be cause for rejoicing. If it was Paul and not BG who was freed in this deal, my heart would break for BG but I would be just as happy to bring Mr. Whelan home. There will be people who will try to use this as a wedge and we should not allow that. Let's not forget that Russia did not negotiate in good faith and held the majority of leverage. The fact that we got EITHER of them is a miracle worth celebrating.
Let's rejoice for BG and her family and let's also not forget those still imprisoned, including Mr. Whelan. These are not mutually exclusive.
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Stormeo
Joined: 14 Jul 2019
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| Posted: 12/08/22 1:10 pm ::: |
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| WNBA 09 wrote: |
If when she lands and chooses to return to basketball in the WNBA she will change the womens game and the way it's viewed by the public for the rest of time. This could be what propels the WNBA into a next level audience and sponsor wise. All eyes will be on the WNBA 2023 if BG decides to still play which is very possible / realistic since she was only away 10 months. It could be simulated as a player who tears their ACL and misses 10 months and returns. BG still has the ability to be BG on the court maybe a bit rusty but she's got enough time to get her timing back for basketball . Sounds terrible to think BG's prison time will become a benefit to growing the WNBA but its factual . The non-casual fan , the non sports fans ALL now know who Brittney Griner is and they will be glued in watching her and the WNBA the entire season to get a glimpse of the type of person and player she has become post locked up abroad.
BG's first priority upon landing back on home soil needs to be establishing a book deal and get that published asap. She will forever be a US icon/ legend and she will be in history books til the end of time . |
It's all obviously a super-duper early discussion to be had. The concept of BG's entire 2022 being turned into momentum for the W would start with BG eventually planning on playing in the 2023 season – and probably on-time at that. But even if that happens, you wonder if the attention level would regress back to normal as the W season goes on. It might. The general public and consequently the mainstream news cycle seem to have short attention spans; I would guess they'd stop caring after that first game myself. Who knows.
And again, this all assumes BG returns to basketball, in timely fashion, and that she would even want to revisit her pain in a book deal. (If a book deal is eventually coming, the book itself isn't coming for a while imo.) Just super early on in the game for speculating. We'd have to hear in the coming months about how BG's return to normal life is going – if we even do. Considering her past struggles with mental health, I'm just hoping Brittney mentally isn't too far gone and that irreparable damage hasn't been done to her such that she can continue her basketball career even someday let alone sometime next year.
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WNBA 09
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| Posted: 12/08/22 2:25 pm ::: |
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| Quote: |
How the swap unfolded: The final deal itself came together over the past 48 hours, the officials said, launching the process of moving Griner from the penal colony where she was serving a lengthy sentence.
On Thursday morning, she boarded a plane for the United Arab Emirates. Upon arriving there, she was met on the tarmac by US officials, including special presidential envoy for hostage affairs Roger Carstens. She was in “an extremely upbeat mood” and “all smiles” and “grateful.”
The WNBA star is in good health and is “being offered a wide range of support options,” the officials said. She’ll be offered a “full range” of services to help transition back to life at home. |
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| The choice, the official said, was bringing “Brittney Griner home right now or no American home from Russia right now.” |
The US briefed a number of key partners — including the Ukrainians — on the negotiations and agreement securing Griner's release. Yet the war in Ukraine was not itself at the center of the talks securing her release.
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The US engaged a number of other international partners in the effort to release Griner, including the United Arab Emirates, where she was flown after leaving Russia. Yet asked about the role of Saudi Arabia, which claimed in a statement that its powerful crown price Mohammed bin Salman jointly led mediation efforts securing Griner’s release, US officials suggested a number of countries were involved. |
Per CNN
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johnjohnW
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Silky Johnson
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| Posted: 12/08/22 8:53 pm ::: |
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| Stonington_QB wrote: |
| Griner exchanged for Viktor Bout and Paul Whelan remains in prison. I don't think this will be the national celebration some of you think it will be. I mean, great for BG and everything but at what cost? |
Fym "cost"? There ain't been a single nan nere terrorist that's spent the time that Bout's been incarcerated with a thumb up his ass like, "Welp, there's no way for me to get any weapons, now that Viktor's in jail! I guess I'll just have to go back to working at my uncle's restaurant, then." The "cost" was that an arms dealer that had reportedly already served over half his sentence got early release so that Griner didn't have to lose a decade of her life over a bullshit drug charge.
And as far as the prisoner exchange, that shit wasn't zero-sum, either. It's not as if it was a choice, Whelan or Griner. Whelan's release was never on the table.
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PickledGinger
Joined: 04 Oct 2013
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| Posted: 12/08/22 9:59 pm ::: |
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| WNBA 09 wrote: |
| It could be simulated as a player who tears their ACL and misses 10 months and returns. BG still has the ability to be BG on the court maybe a bit rusty but she's got enough time to get her timing back for basketball. |
This kinda sounds like you're equating the trauma of an ACL rehab to 10 months in what was essentially solitary confinement. IMO, your scenario is extreme best-case. Worst case but equally as possible: she struggles with mental health for the rest of her life and never touches a basketball again.
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pilight
Joined: 23 Sep 2004
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| Posted: 12/08/22 10:44 pm ::: |
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| Silky Johnson wrote: |
| And as far as the prisoner exchange, that shit wasn't zero-sum, either. It's not as if it was a choice, Whelan or Griner. Whelan's release was never on the table. |
Understandable. Russia considers Whelan a spy, which he probably is. Of course he's going to fetch a higher price.
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pilight
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J-Spoon
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| Posted: 12/08/22 10:57 pm ::: |
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| So Happy for BG and her family!!! This is great news!!!
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NYSports56
Joined: 03 Jul 2018
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| Posted: 12/08/22 11:15 pm ::: |
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| WNBA 09 wrote: |
| If when she lands and chooses to return to basketball in the WNBA she will change the womens game and the way it's viewed by the public for the rest of time. This could be what propels the WNBA into a next level audience and sponsor wise All eyes will be on the WNBA 2023 if BG decides to still play which is very possible / realistic since she was only away 10 months. It could be simulated as a player who tears their ACL and misses 10 months and returns. BG still has the ability to be BG on the court maybe a bit rusty but she's got enough time to get her timing back for basketball . Sounds terrible to think BG's prison time will become a benefit to growing the WNBA but its factual . The non-casual fan , the non sports fans ALL now know who brittney Griner is and they will be glued in watching her and the WNBA the entire season to get a glimpse of the type of person and player she has become post locked up abroad. |
I don't think you realize how unpopular this move is with a large segment of our population (not me!). The outrage from the right wing is predictable; Marjorie Taylor-Greene is calling for Biden's impeachment because of this. But from the left, there is outrage over how we will bend over backwards for Griner, but do nothing for all of the people who are locked up here in the USA for marajuana. "Guess you've got to play basketball to get any attention," said one of my friends on Facebook. I vouch for this person as much as I can vouch for anybody that he doesn't harbor any ill-will towards minorities or the LGBTQ+ community, but he chose to complain rather than celebrate.
And everywhere I look, there are more people bitching than celebrating. There's the Paul Whelan whataboutism. There's the snide "maybe now she'll think twice before kneeling for the national anthem" crowd. There are those who think that we gave up too much in a hostage negotiation.
I'm just glad she's home. But I think it is really wishful thinking to hope that this will increase the popularity of the WNBA. For many, it will be an excuse to bash the league any time someone brings it into the conversation.
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Silky Johnson
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| Posted: 12/08/22 11:57 pm ::: |
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| NYSports56 wrote: |
| I don't think you realize how unpopular this move is with a large segment of our population (not me!). The outrage from the right wing is predictable; Marjorie Taylor-Greene is calling for Biden's impeachment because of this. But from the left, there is outrage over how we will bend over backwards for Griner, but do nothing for all of the people who are locked up here in the USA for marajuana. "Guess you've got to play basketball to get any attention," said one of my friends on Facebook. I vouch for this person as much as I can vouch for anybody that he doesn't harbor any ill-will towards minorities or the LGBTQ+ community, but he chose to complain rather than celebrate. |
Which is also bullshit. TTBOMR, Biden has already ordered the release of everyone who was serving a sentence for weed whom it was within his power to release, i.e. federal prisoners. He doesn't have the authority to release anybody doing state time for weed. That is up to the governors of the states where those people are incarcerated, which means that the so-called leftists that you refer to have their outrage directed at the wrong people.
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NYSports56
Joined: 03 Jul 2018
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| Posted: 12/09/22 12:28 am ::: |
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| Silky Johnson wrote: |
| NYSports56 wrote: |
| I don't think you realize how unpopular this move is with a large segment of our population (not me!). The outrage from the right wing is predictable; Marjorie Taylor-Greene is calling for Biden's impeachment because of this. But from the left, there is outrage over how we will bend over backwards for Griner, but do nothing for all of the people who are locked up here in the USA for marajuana. "Guess you've got to play basketball to get any attention," said one of my friends on Facebook. I vouch for this person as much as I can vouch for anybody that he doesn't harbor any ill-will towards minorities or the LGBTQ+ community, but he chose to complain rather than celebrate. |
Which is also bullshit. TTBOMR, Biden has already ordered the release of everyone who was serving a sentence for weed whom it was within his power to release, i.e. federal prisoners. He doesn't have the authority to release anybody doing state time for weed. That is up to the governors of the states where those people are incarcerated, which means that the so-called leftists that you refer to have their outrage directed at the wrong people. |
This person's anger is not necessarily directed towards Biden, who he voted for and supports publicly. I agree it's misdirected. Nonetheless, that's what he's posting, and he has worked with me at several fundraisers for Democratic candidates. Even if he's a "so-called leftist," the most hard-left person I know (we are talking serious socialist anarchist here--far more left than than any national Democrat I am aware of) just posted this since I made my last post:
"Brittney Griner was freed in a prisoner swap between Russia and the United States. But what about others being held in Russia on similar charges, such as Marc Fogel, who is serving 14 years. Does he count less than she does?"
I looked up the case of Fogel, and it seems to me that the cases are indeed very similar. Now this person actually has an agenda against Biden because in his eyes, Biden is just another right-wing fascist hardly better than Trump, but it's yet another example of someone on the left who is jeering rather than cheering. And in this example, though being a "whatabout," is at least not a false equivalence (from what I know about it).
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ChicagoAnnie
Joined: 04 Sep 2009
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| Posted: 12/09/22 12:32 am ::: |
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| WNBA 09 wrote: |
| Stonington_QB wrote: |
| Griner exchanged for Viktor Bout and Paul Whelan remains in prison. I don't think this will be the national celebration some of you think it will be. I mean, great for BG and everything but at what cost? |
It is not as though the US did not make the attempt for a 2 for 1 . Russia simply said no , you either take Griner for Bout or you get no one . So they took what they could get . The 2 cases are not the same and russia feels as though Whelan's is more severe. That's not Brittneys fault unfortunately as Whelan has been tied into her freedom . I applaud Biden for making the tough move and not punishing griner for not being able to get whelan at the same time. If anything everyone should shift focus to free whelan propaganda instead of blaming Griner for him not being home. This topic is very touchy so i vote we focus on celebrating her instead of shining any negative light on her freedom. |
Russia refused a 1:1 for Bout/Whelan offer.
Two admininstrations in, and Russia won't budge on Whelan.
But, you are so right. I had to get off twitter because the Twittidiots blaming her for Whelan's situation is twisted.
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Stormeo
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| Posted: 12/09/22 12:47 am ::: |
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| ChicagoAnnie wrote: |
| I had to get off twitter because the Twittidiots blaming her for Whelan's situation is twisted. |
And – while it's possible I just wasn't paying attention – I don't recall a whole lot of societal discussion about Paul Whelan's situation before BG ended up in hers, honestly.
I'm sure a decent chunk of people found out about his situation precisely because of BG's.
It was no doubt a tough day for him and his loved ones, but I hope this whole situation with BG was a net positive for his own situation. I'd like to think it was... though who really knows.
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