A man described as a social media "provocateur" confronted WNBA star Brittney Griner at a Dallas airport Saturday, accusing her of hating America as he shouted questions at her on camera. The league as well as Griner's team, the Phoenix Mercury, said they were aware of the incident and investigating, reports USA Today. Alex Stein, described by the Washington Post as a "right-wing social media personality," posted a video clip of himself shouting questions such as "Do you still want to boycott America, Brittney?" as security tried to stop him. Griner teammate Brianna Turner tweeted about the incident.
"People following with cameras saying wild remarks is never acceptable," she wrote. "Excessive harassment. Our team nervously huddled in a corner unsure how to move about. We demand better." Turner and the WNBA players union say the incident raises questions about player safety, particularly about how the league will not pay for charter flights for players. Instead, they walk through airports with the general public, notes the Post. However, the league did give Griner special permission to use charter flights this season, following her release from prison in Russia after 10 months. As ESPN notes, it was unclear why she wasn't doing so on Saturday.
"As we gather additional information about today's incident at the Dallas airport, it has come to our attention that this was orchestrated by a social media figure and provocateur," said the league in a statement. "His actions were inappropriate and unfortunate." ESPN reports that Stein is a Dallas native and a Blaze Media YouTube personality who has gained followers confronting politicians in public. (More Brittney Griner stories.)
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