Griner puts toughness, humanity on display

The people who dislike Brittney Griner have always been a cabal of clowns and goofs. Highly unserious people. They don’t like her because she’s openly gay. Because she’s a strong woman. Because she’s Black. Because they love Russia.

They don’t even try to cloak their hate. When Griner was sentenced to nine years in a Russian penal colony for two vape cartridges that contained cannabis oil, the main thing the far right said was she broke the law, so too bad. These are the same people who support a man who kept classified documents next to his toilet.

In any universe, in any place where you have a pulse, Griner is a hero. And it turns out she is a bigger hero than we actually knew.

Griner has detailed her imprisonment in Russia in an upcoming memoir

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“Coming Home,” which is scheduled to be released on May 7. She spoke with ABC’s Robin Roberts about her book in an interview that aired Wednesday night.

The interview showed with extreme clarity that even the oppressive disgrace that is Russia’s judicial system, even a corrupt superpower, couldn’t destroy her. That is the power of Brittney Griner.

Griner survived because she’s strong. She’s in fact stronger than the people who criticize her. She’s a twotime Olympian and nine-time WNBA

All-Star. Toughness is who she is.

But also, in the interview, we see her humanity. The broadcast reminds us all of Griner’s impressiveness as a person. She was the first openly gay athlete to earn a Nike endorsement. She’s kind. A family person. A great teammate. She’s respected by everyone in the sport.

It’s also clear that Griner had to overcome more than just the physical strain of being in a Russian prison, but also mentally, said Jamison Firestone, an anti-corruption activist.