Perspective: How I’ve changed in my thinking about Brittney Griner

After the U.S. women’s basketball team won the gold at the Paris Olympics, Brittney Griner wept openly as America’s national anthem played in celebration of her team’s achievement. It’s not unusual, of course, for athletes to show emotion at such a moment, but this story is anything but normal.

Griner went from sleeping on a blood-stained mattress in a Russian prison to Olympic glory in less than two years. Hers is a story with little precedent. Jailed on trumped-up charges of transporting cannabis oil and used as a political pawn by Vladimir Putin, Griner could not miss the significance of the moment. “I didn’t think I’d be here,” she said. “And then to be here winning gold for my country, representing, when my country fought so hard for me to even be standing here … yeah.”

The outspoken Griner is no stranger to controversy. But nothing caused so much controversy for the athlete as calling on the WNBA to stop playing the national anthem in July 2020, when she declared, “I’m not going to be out there for the national anthem.”

When Griner was arrested in Russia, it earned her more than a few sneers from people who disliked her. And when she was released as part of a hostage exchange for a notorious Russian arms dealer , Viktor Bout, former President Donald Trump asked, “What kind of a deal is it to swap Brittney Griner, a basketball player who openly hates our Country, for the man known as ‘The Merchant of Death,’ who is one of the biggest arms dealers anywhere in the World. … Why wasn’t former Marine Paul Whelan included in this totally one-sided transaction?”

There are multiple things going on here that are worthy of note.

First is the matter of swapping someone like Griner, whose offense was minor, with someone who is clearly guilty of much more serious crimes. Historically, prisoner exchanges have been between similarly situated individuals — a spy for a spy, for example. This exchange was indeed different in kind.

The underlying criticism has merit. There is an excellent case to be made that Israel is facing its most recent hostage crisis because, back in 2011, it released more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners, many convicted of serious terrorist-related crimes, for one young soldier. Such trades incentivize bad behavior.

While the America-Russia swap wasn’t on that level, it still represents an imbalance between a democratic republic that values its citizens and the rule of law, and a dictatorship that doesn’t. The critique that such deals should not be made at all is a fair one. The Biden administration has repeatedly made such exchanges, and there are significant long-term costs that have not been sufficiently considered.

But all that has little to do with Griner herself. By singling out Griner’s swap for criticism, and pointedly contrasting her with former Marine Paul Whelan (no saint himself, he received a bad conduct discharge for larceny), Trump sent the minor controversy of Griner’s national anthem protest into the stratosphere. It was clearly intended for domestic political effect.

The controversy over the national anthem after George Floyd’s murder is a cultural touchstone where both sides were talking past each other.

Those offended by the actions of athletes like Griner view such protests as a half-step below flag burning: an intentional display of disrespect to America. They point to hotheads like Colin Kaepernick, who embraced such protests while praising Che Guevara and Fidel Castro.

Griner, however, insisted at the time of her protest, “I wanted to be a cop before basketball. I do have pride for my country.” Kaepernick’s former teammate Eric Reid also offered a respectful rational for his anthem protests. Neither of them belong in the same category as Kaepernick.

But in the matter of her imprisonment, many people elevated Griner’s political opinions above a more important fact: She is an American citizen. And when a foreign thug is unjustly messing with an American, we should support the American, period. We should save the domestic squabbling for later.

That’s why I celebrated Griner’s release even though I disagree with her methods of protest. We should always celebrate the return of an American, regardless of their political opinions or past sins, and they should not be used for a domestic political football. Doing otherwise, dare I say, is un-American, and suggests a lack of appreciation of what America is.

There is also a lesson for Griner, and others who thought like her.

No one should deny the horrifying history of African Americans in the U.S. nor minimize the travesties that have been perpetrated on people like Breonna Taylor, George Floyd or Philando Castile by law enforcement. But for all of America’s sins, we are a great country. While Russia arrests and tortures its own citizens who protest the war in Ukraine, America goes to extreme lengths to protect its citizens, even those who, like Griner, have publicly criticized its government.

Griner’s tears demonstrate, quite clearly, that she has a new appreciation for her country. Indeed, she is a changed woman in many ways. In a recent interview she shared that, while in prison, she “surprised herself by taking solace in the Bible.” She said she had previously associated the Bible with “pain and intolerance,” but having read it, she found comfort in scripture.

Let’s all learn from this. Maybe Griner’s critics can be more accepting of her, given her new level of appreciation for her country. And maybe Griner understands better why her critics felt so strongly about her protest methods.

For myself, I simply say congratulations to my fellow American for bringing home the gold. I am proud of your success and I was glad to have you represent my country. Most of all, I’m glad to have you home.

Cliff Smith is a lawyer and a former congressional staffer. He lives in Washington, D.C., where he works on national security-related issues. His views are his own.