Cowboys star Micah Parsons quickly backpedaled Thursday after he fired off a tweet that appeared to criticize the release of WNBA star Brittney Griner.
“We left a marine?!!! Hell nah,” the former Penn State standout tweeted over the deal brokered by the Biden Administration to exchange Griner for notorious Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.
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The U.S. government had hoped a prisoner swap to bring home the basketball star would also include jailed corporate security executive Paul Whelan. Whelan has been held on espionage charges in Russia since December 2018. But Thursday’s deal ended up being a 1-for-1 swap.
[ WNBA star Brittney Griner freed from Russian penal colony in prisoner swap ]
The backlash to his initial tweet led the second-year Cowboys linebacker to offer up a social media apology.
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“My last tweet was no shot at Brittney Griner,” said Parsons said. “I’m super happy she’s back home as she should be. I just have family who have served and it’s crazy to me the President wouldn’t bring him home too. I’m the furthest thing from a Trump supporter but I’m not a fan of Biden either.”
Parsons added that he made a mistake with his initial tweet.
“Just spoke to some people that I respect and trust,” Parsons said. “I should have been more educated on the topic and not tweeted out of emotion for my family and other who have served. For that I apologize.
“Also if what I’m told about the attempts to bring Ret Marine Paul Whelan home are true then the best outcome was accomplished. I pray Mr. Whelan comes home but am extremely happy for Brittney and her family.
“I am not too prideful to admit when I’ve made a mistake.”
Sports journalist and former ESPN anchor Jemele Hill were among those taking aim at the All-Pro.
“The tiniest bit of reading really could have helped you not tweet something so uninformed,” Hill tweeted.
Hill pointed to a statement made by Paul Whelan’s brother David, who praised Thursday’s deal.
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“It is so important to me that it is clear that we do not begrudge Ms. Griner her freedom,” David Whelan said. “As I have often remarked, Brittney’s and Paul’s cases were never really intertwined. It has always been a strong possibility that one might be freed without the other.”
Griner, the two-time Olympic gold medalist with Team USA and a seven-time WNBA All-Star with the Phoenix Mercury was sentenced to nine years in a Russian prison after being arrested in February for bringing less than a gram of cannabis oil in vape cartridges into the country.
Russia has long been a landing spot for American women during the WNBA offseason due to the high salaries they can receive there. However, many stars of the league announced that they would not be playing in Russia any longer after Griner’s arrest.
– With News Wire Services
