Baylor University professor calls out university for not 'talking about Brittney' Griner
Editor's Note: This story has been updated to include a statement from Baylor University.
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - A Baylor University professor is gaining attention on social media for an article he published about Baylor grad and women's basketball standout Brittney Griner.
Carole McDaniel Hanks Professor of Literature and Culture Greg Garrett said the university should be leading the charge to raise awareness about Griner's wrongful imprisonment, but it's not happening.
Griner was not one of Garrett's students, but he remembers her well.
"She had this habit of riding down the avenue on her longboard and it is one of my favorite memories of Baylor," he said.
He said at 6'9 Griner was hard to miss.
"Her physical gifts were astonishing, so everybody was aware of that," he said. "When she came to Baylor there was this sense of destinies were colliding because Baylor had this amazing basketball team and Britney was maybe this once in a lifetime talent."
In 2012, Griner took Baylor to an undefeated season and national championship.
"That has never been replicated," Garrett said.
For the past several months, Garrett has followed Griner's legal case. She was sentenced to nine years in a Russian prison camp for bringing cannabis oil into a Russian airport.
"When she was sentenced and sent to prison this week, I was like 'oh my God I can't believe that this is happening,' " he said.
He said he's disappointed in the lack of response from Baylor, writing his thoughts in an article for Baptist News Global.
"It feels like a failure to me and I don't want to indict any single person, but it's there from the regents all the way down except for Baylor's current head coach," he said. "It seems nobody seems to be speaking out for her and that disturbs me."
He points out Baylor is a private Christian university and believes her National Anthem protest and sexuality come into play.
"Baylor's head coach Kim Mulkey had asked her to keep it on the down low, don't let the world know about your sexuality, and she did not officially come out until the WNBA draft in 2013," he said. "We need to reach out and do everything we can to get her back home. We have to support her and stand up for her and let her know that she is not alone and she is not forgotten."
Garrett said he hopes the Biden administration can make a prisoner exchange happen soon.
Baylor released the following statement to CBS 11 as a response to this story:
"Brittney Griner is and always will be a member of the Baylor Family. We remain deeply concerned for her health, safety and well-being. Throughout her detainment, high-ranking Baylor officials have been in contact with those close to Brittney, as well as with appropriate elected and government officials. In addition, on several occasions Baylor has expressed public support for Brittney on social media."
