“Do you remember that time that you were protesting your own government…?” Kennedy said in a recent tweet.
As Brittney Griner—the WNBA star currently jailed in Russia for allegedly possessing cannabis—pleads with the U.S. government to negotiate her release, a former UFC fighter called out the basketball star’s behaviour is both “Ironic” and “despicable.”
Tim Kennedy believes it is contradictory for Griner to request the help and backing of the U.S. government after she was one of the athletes who knelt during the national anthem and protested the acts of police brutality that take place against Black people in the United States.
“Do you remember that time that you were protesting your own government and even requesting that the National Anthem not be played at your games then going back to this same government and pleading that they intervene on your behalf to get you out of a Russian prison after you illegally brought drugs into their country,” Kennedy wrote on Instagram. “Does not get more ironic than this.”
Yet despite his disdain for Griner, Kennedy believes the athlete should not have to serve up to 10 years in prison.
“Even with her despicable behavior I do believe that every American is worth fighting for even those that hate their own country.”
Arguably the greatest female basketball player of all time, Griner was detained in Moscow during the early days of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on alleged drug charges, though there is little reason to believe the charges are legitimate. She was kept in pre-trial detention for more than two months and currently remains in custody.
During the second hearing of her trial last week, Griner pleaded guilty to a drugs charge in a Russian court but denied she had intentionally broken the law.