Brittney Griner has finally returned home after spending the most traumatic ten months of her life in Russia. As the WNBA star deals with the traumas she endured in a penal colony, she is likely to face some critics arguing against her release. Recently, a super wealthy Philadelphia sports bettor, Steve Maltepes, offered a divisive take on the release of the Phoenix Mercury star.

Steve Maltepes is renowned by the name ‘The Philly Godfather’. He is one of the most successful sports handicapping experts in the country. Maltepes has many subscribers on his website who pay a great deal of money every month for his advice. Moreover, he has over 30k followers on Twitter. The Philly sports bettor recently shared his estranged opinion on the release of Brittney Griner.

Sports betting expert makes a demand to Brittney Griner

In a recent tweet, Steve Maltepes wrote, “It would be nice to hear @brittneygriner say the words. GOD BLESS AMERICA.”

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Further, Maltepes added, “Especially since we let a murderous, gun dealer free just so she doesn’t have to do her time.”

Maltepes shared that it would be good to hear Griner praise her country. He believed that Brittney Griner needed to complement the US, who released infamous Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout just to save the WNBA star from spending nine years in the Mordovian penal colony.

Meanwhile, Griner’s controversial comments from 2020 about the national anthem led to a great deal of backlash. The two-time Olympic gold medalist was heavily mocked on social media for her comments during her detention in Russia. Thus, Maltepes felt that it would be nice to hear the WNBA star compliment her country.

What did Griner say about the national anthem?

During a 2020 interview, Brittney Griner suggested that the national anthem should not be played in the WNBA. Her comments came during the time when the Black Lives Matter moment was at its peak in the US. Further, Griner stated, “I honestly feel we should not play the National Anthem during our season. I think we should take that much of a stand.”

Moreover, BG clarified that she did not mean any disrespect to the country. She pointed out that her father was a Vietnam veteran and worked as a law officer for nearly thirty years. Griner revealed that she wanted to be a cop as well before getting involved with basketball. However, she claimed to continue protesting by not coming to the court during the national anthem if the WNBA continued to play it.

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Her comments from 2020 became a major weapon for Griner’s critics who argued against the release of the WNBA star from Russia. Thus, Griner is expected to receive some peculiar comments from her critics as she learns to live in the free world.