“Having sympathy for a criminal is insane” – Stephen A. Smith gets SLAMMED for defending Brittney Griner’s mental health absence

Stephen A. Smith came out in support of Brittney Griner's break from the WNBA amid all the controversy surrounding her.

“Having sympathy for a criminal is insane” – Stephen A. Smith gets SLAMMED for defending Brittney Griner’s mental health absence

Stephen A. Smith and Brittney Griner

Brittney Griner, the WNBA superstar, announced earlier this week that she would be stepping away from the game to take care of her mental health. Griner chose not to travel with her team to Chicago and Indiana for the 2-game trip planned from July 30 to August 1. Stephen A. Smith, on his show, gave his opinions on this and supported her decision.

“First of all, God bless you. All the best to you, Brittney…If anybody — anybody at all — has a perfectly logical explanation for needing to step away from basketball to address their mental health, after what she endured, it’s Brittney Griner,” Smith said. Brittney Griner is a two-time Olympic gold medalist and was taken into custody by the Russian government after a very ugly incident.

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In February 2022, Girner was taken into Russian custody after she was arrested at the Moscow airport. She was taken in on account of drug smuggling and sentenced to nine years in the Russian prisons. It was because a cannabis cartridge was found in her luggage. Recently, she was released in a prisoner swap undertaken by the Biden Administration in December.

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In order to get her back to the US, she had to be traded for a criminal nicknamed “Merchant of Death.” According to Smith, the point of contention that a lot of people have with Griners is that she is potentially the reason for a criminal walking away free. He explains why people have started hating the WNBA star, which is causing a lot of trouble for her mental health.

Also Read: Brittney Griner BREAKS SILENCE on her airport harassment incident, declares “rock bottom for WNBA”

NBA Twitter reacts to Stephen A Smith defending Brittner Griner

Brittney Griner
Brittney Griner (image via CBS NEWS)

As the video was posted by Stephen Smith, some people slammed him for supporting a criminal, while others sympathized with Brittney Griner. Some even called out Griner for the lack of sportsmanship she is showing by quitting playing for the team for some time.

https://twitter.com/ArchiePcheeSe/status/1686744443095814144?t=DoeEueggoCOR8mkeGvjmkA&s=19
https://twitter.com/StillJoeHess/status/1686763685719461889
https://twitter.com/MisterA37975691/status/1686756777449156609

According to Stephen Smith, Griner’s being imprisoned might have been a political tool used by Putin, and she might not actually be at fault. He said it is understandable why she is taking the break and that all should empathize with her too. Whether or not Griner will return to the NBA or not, this will be a talking point for a lot of people for some time.

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