Houston Ironically Celebrating Brittney Griner's Release From Prison By Lighting Up City Hall Red, White, And Blue

Brittney Griner's hometown of Houston, Texas is set to celebrate her release from Russian prison, but the gesture the city has chosen is incredibly ironic given the WNBA player's history.

Griner was arrested in a Moscow airport in February and was sentenced to nine years in a Russian prison in July after pleading guilty to drug charges. On Thursday, she was released via a prisoner swap for Viktor Bout, who is also known as 'The Merchant of Death.'

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To celebrate Griner's return to U.S. soil, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner announced that City Hall will be lit up in red, white, and blue on Thursday night.

Turner probably should have asked Griner if she approves of the pro-America gesture because based on her past, she probably wouldn't be on board with the idea.

Brittney Griner Bashes The United States

While her opinion may have changed after being detained in Russia for nine months, Griner isn't exactly the biggest fan of the United States.

Back in July 2020, when George Floyd protests were taking place all over the country, Griner protested the playing of the National Anthem.

“I honestly feel we should not play the National Anthem during our season,” Griner told AZ Central. “I think we should take that much of a stand.

“I’m not going to be out there for the National Anthem. If the league continues to want to play it, that’s fine," Griner, whose father was a Vietnam War Vet, continued. "It will be all season long, I’ll not be out there. I feel like more are going to probably do the same thing. I can only speak for myself.”

That doesn't sound like someone who would want their homecoming theme to be red, white, and blue.

Griner certainly never imagined she'd be detained in a foreign country when she took aim at the US National Anthem, but I'm willing to bet she feels a bit more grateful for her country today than she did back in 2020.

This isn't to say that Griner and every other American shouldn't peacefully protest for what they believe in, but a simple reminder that words do actually matter.

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Mark covers all sports at OutKick while keeping a close eye on the PGA Tour, LIV Golf, and all other happenings in the world of golf. He graduated from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga before earning his master's degree in journalism from the University of Tennessee. He somehow survived living in Knoxville despite ‘Rocky Top’ being his least favorite song ever written. Before joining OutKick, he wrote for various outlets including SB Nation, The Spun, and BroBible. Mark was also a writer for the Chicago Cubs Double-A affiliate in 2016 when the team won the World Series. He's still waiting for his championship ring to arrive. Follow him on Twitter @itismarkharris.