An incident occurred at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport on Saturday morning, involving a YouTube personality attempting to approach WNBA star Brittney Griner. According to a police report obtained by ESPN, Alex Stein, who was described as a “provocateur” by the WNBA, pushed his way through Phoenix Mercury security personnel to approach Griner while the team was walking on a concourse to catch a flight to Indiana for a Sunday tipoff following two games against the Dallas Wings.
The Mercury security representative stood between Griner and Stein, but Stein pushed the security personnel. The security guard then pushed Stein against a wall on the concourse, and Griner waited behind a gate area until officers arrived. Officers were dispatched at approximately 9:38 a.m. The security guard told officers that Stein “seemed aggressive and made some inappropriate comments” to Griner, the report stated.
Although Stein did not get physical with Griner, the Mercury security guard told officers that Stein was physical with him, but he did not want to press charges. After the incident, Stein posted a 90-second video on YouTube of the interaction.
Griner’s high-profile case and alternative travel arrangements
Griner, one of the league’s biggest stars, spent most of 2022 in Russian custody after officials found vape canisters with cannabis oil in her luggage. She was sentenced to a nine-year prison term but was freed in December through a prisoner exchange negotiated between the United States and Russia.
WNBA teams typically travel commercially for road games, with few exceptions. However, the league and the Mercury worked in the offseason to develop alternative arrangements where possible for Griner because of her high-profile case. Earlier this season, Griner and her teammates appeared to have traveled via JSX, a semi-private airline, to their season-opening game in Los Angeles, according to a video posted by her teammate Shey Peddy.
After officers were called to the scene on Saturday, an American Airlines manager attempted to find an area for the Mercury to congregate until their flight. A nearby Admirals Club representative said the team could enter if it purchased a day pass, but once the team was escorted to the lounge, the Mercury were told “they did not have enough room for the team,” the report stated.
The Mercury were eventually escorted to a customer experience office to wait until they boarded their flight. The team was then escorted to its gate by officers around 10:20 a.m. and immediately boarded without any other issues, according to the report.
Airport officers were unable to locate Stein in the area, and American Airlines did not find a passenger with his name flying at the airport. The airport’s master control room confirmed that the man “walked to the lower gates, connected with a female passenger and entered the Skylink Train heading to Terminals B & D.” Although the incident happened in Terminal A, the Skyline Train connects all five terminals of the airport, one of the largest in the U.S.
Despite the incident, Griner has continued to perform well on the court, averaging 22.7 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 2.7 blocks in 30.6 minutes per game for the Mercury.
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