ESPN commentator proposes Alex Ovechkin's arrest to settle a sad story
Keith Olbermann, a sports commentator for ESPN, thinks he has the solution to freeing WNBA star Brittney Griner from Russian prison. He says the U.S. should put NHL star Alex Ovechkin in jail.
Olbermann made the suggestion on Twitter, citing a video of T.J. Quinn, also of ESPN, saying that there is a growing expectation that Russia will sentence Griner to 10 years in prison.
Griner has been in a Russian prison since last February when she was detained at a Moscow airport for allegedly carrying vaping cartridges containing hash oil, a marijuana concentrate currently illegal in the country. According to a recent Associated Press report, Griner's criminal trial is scheduled to begin July 1, Russia will also extend her detention for another six months, the length of the trial.
While the WNBA has been working to keep the spotlight on Griner, hoping others will join them in calling on the U.S. government to intervene and have her released from Russian prison immediately, Olbermann suggested America respond by arresting Ovechkin, a Russian-born hockey superstar, to force Griner's release.
In recent years, Ovechkin has been a public supporter of Russian President Vladimir Putin, with the two even displaying a well-known friendship. Currently, Ovechkin's profile picture on Instagram is a photo of him standing next to the Russian president. And, in 2017, the hockey star launched a re-election campaign on social media for Putin.
Here's what the Washington Capitals' No. 8 wrote in 2017:
"I have never hidden my relationship with our president, I have always openly supported him. I am sure there are many of us who support Vladimir Putin. Let's unite and show everyone a strong and united Russia. Today I want to announce a social movement on behalf of Team Putin." - Alex Ovechkin
It would be very surprising, however, if the U.S. government listened to Olbermann and had Ovechkin arrested as a protest to Griner's arrest.
