WNBA star Brittney Griner’s detention in Russia has become a major concern for American citizens. There has been divided opinion among the people about how the Biden administration should approach the matter. Many experts advocated that the detention of Brittney Griner must be dealt with in silence. Moreover, they felt that noise could make things worse for the Phoenix Mercury center stuck alone in Russia. Recently, ESPN special correspondent Angela Rye responded to the assertions of silence, deeming BG’s situation as a gender issue.
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Angela Rye is the principal and CEO of a political advocacy firm IMPACT strategies. She made an appearance on ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith’s FirstTake. Smith pointed out that people have reservations about Russian president Vladimir Putin due to his reputation for not being pro-American or kind. Then, he asked Rye about her answer to the people who claim that silence is the best way to tackle the Brittney Griner situation.
Prolonged detention of Brittney Griner a gender issue?
Angela Rye stated that the country had tried silence in the beginning at the government’s request. But it hasn’t worked. She also asked the people advocating for the noise to die down to check their bias.
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Subsequently, Rye suggested that BG’s current state was the result of a gender bias issue. She elaborated that the country would not have kept quiet if some celebrated male athlete from any of the major leagues, who did not look like Brittney Griner was stuck in her situation. Rye said, “So that’s what I’d tell folks to do, one, check your bias and two, we already tried that, that didn’t work.”
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Moreover, the activist shared in a straightforward way that now people needed to make a lot of noise and treat Brittney Griner like family. She asked people to treat BG as an American Patriot who won Olympic gold medals for the country. Angela Rye added, “Treat her like she deserves to be treated.”
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Russia is ready for swap negotiations
There have been a lot of opinions about how the Biden Administration should approach the critical situation involving Griner. Meanwhile, the government has offered a possible prisoner swap deal for Brittney Griner.
Further, the Kremlin has finally broken their silence on the offer recently. Russia has kept the door open for negotiations. However, the country’s representatives have requested that all the discussions regarding Brittney Griner’s release must be confidential.
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Hopefully, the American government will find a way to bring Griner home before she is sent to a Russian penal colony.