Most of Twitter was ecstatic when the news of Brittney Griner’s release from Russian captivity was announced on Thursday. However, there were some who voiced their disappointment that Paul Whelan, a former U.S. Marine, was not a part of the prisoner swap that resulted in Griner’s release.
Cowboys star Micah Parsons was one of those people and caught some backlash when he tweeted, “Wait nah!! We left a marine?? Hell Nah.” Parson’s reaction could be interpreted as disappointment in Griner’s release over Whelan. After a little over an hour, he addressed his tweet and went on to criticize President Joe Biden.
“My last tweet was no shot at Brittney Griner,” he said. “I’m just 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.”
Later in the morning, he addressed his comments after more backlash and apologized.
“Just spoke to some people that I respect and trust,” Parsons said in a tweet. “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,” he continued. “I am not too prideful to admit when I’ve made a mistake.”
Parsons was likely informed that Biden and the U.S. reportedly attempted to swap international arms dealer Viktor Bout for both Griner and Whelan, but in the end this was the only deal that would be accepted, according to ESPN’s T.J. Quinn. Whelan has been in captivity for almost four years after being accused of espionage and was sentenced to 16 years in prison. His family released a statement following the news of Griner’s release.
“I am so glad that Brittney Griner is on her way home,” David Whelan, Paul’s twin brother, said in a statement Thursday via ABC’s Jay O’Brien. “As the family member of a Russian hostage, I can literally only imagine the joy she will have, being reunited with her loved ones, and in time for the holidays. There is no greater success than for a wrongful detainee to be free and for them to go home. The Biden Administration made the right decision to bring Ms. Griner home, and to make the deal that was possible, rather than waiting for one that wasn’t going to happen.”
