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Phoenix Mercury star Brittney Griner has been approved to fly charter for the remainder of the season following Saturday’s airport harassment incident, according to a report.
While traveling with her team from the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport on June 10, Griner was aggressively confronted by Alex Stein, a personality from BlazeTV.
Stein, who has previously provoked politicians, berated Griner with questions about her release from a Russian prison.
He took a video of the encounter and posted it to his Twitter account.
While the league previously stated it cleared Griner to fly charter before the start of the 2023 season, a source told ESPN that there were only two pre-approved private flights for the WNBA All-Star center.
The league denied that statement.
A source also told ESPN that the Mercury could potentially use JSX public charter flights for Griner, but it would be a challenge to accommodate the entire Phoenix team due to the WNBA’s travel regulations.
While JSX offers the option to buy all 30 seats on its planes, there aren’t hubs in all WNBA cities, and the clubs aren’t allowed to create their own routes because of cost, the league said.
That means if a WNBA team were to use a JSX flight for its entire group, it would have to book one of the preset routes and times –– these are unlikely to align with their playing schedule.
The league announced in April that it would expand its charter plane use to teams that compete in the 2023 playoffs and in the circumstance of back-to-back games.
The WNBA cites financial restrictions as to why commercial flights remain the primary mode of transportation during the regular season.
Many of the league’s stars –– including New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart –– have spoken out about the need for charter planes to ensure the health, safety and productivity of the WNBA’s players.
Griner’s experience has put the contested topic back in the spotlight.
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