Brittney Griner's harassment at Dallas airport detailed in police report
More details of the harassment Brittney Griner faced from a YouTube personality at the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport have emerged in a police report obtained by ESPN.
The Mercury were traveling to Indianapolis on Saturday for Sunday’s game against the Fever when Griner and the team were followed by the man with a camera who was “made some inappropriate comments,” according to the Mercury security representative in the report.
Griner spent all last season in Russian custody after officials said they found vape canisters with cannabis oil in her luggage. She was sentenced to a nine-year prison term but was freed in December through a prisoner exchange negotiated between the United States and Russia.
More: Brittney Griner handled an airport troll like a pro. Can we finally pay her like one?
According to the report, the security guard stayed between Griner and the man, but the man pushed the security personnel. The guard then pushed Stein against a wall on the concourse, and Griner waited behind a gate area until officers arrived at approximately 9:38 a.m.
The passenger never got physical with Griner and was ignored by her throughout the exchange. The Mercury security guard told officers that the man was physical with him, but he did not want to press charges.
Airport officers were unable to locate the man in the area, the report stated, and he reportedly did not have an American Airlines ticket. The airport's master control room confirmed that the man "walked to the lower gates, connected with a female passenger and entered the Skylink Train heading to Terminals B & D."
Once officers were called to the scene, an American Airlines manager tried to find an area for the Mercury to safely wait at before their flight. A nearby Admirals Club representative said the team could enter if it purchased a day pass, but once the team was escorted to the lounge, the Mercury were told "they did not have enough room for the team," the report stated.
The Mercury were eventually escorted to a customer experience office to wait until they boarded their flight. The team was then escorted to its gate by officers around 10:20 a.m. and immediately boarded without any other issues, according to the report.
Since the exchange, head coach Vanessa Nygaard said the team will be making adjustments for travel.
“We will ensure that our players and our organization and our staff are safe,” Nygaard said. “We will be making (travel) adjustments that maybe should have happened before, but right now we’re going to prioritize the safety of our players and we’ve seen that the organization has supported us.”
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Brittney Griner's harassment at Dallas airport detailed in police report
