"If this was Tom Brady he wouldn't have spent a night in prison" - Social media upset with US government after WNBA star Brittney Griner gets sentenced to nine years in Russian prison

Tom Brady doesn't really have much to do with geopolitics, it's outside of his purview. But after Brittney Griner was detained in Russia, many could not help but notice the difference in treatment afforded to various stars by the US government. It's worth noting that the Griner situation was made a lot more complicated due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Brittney Griner has been sentenced to nine years following her drug conviction in Russia. She pled guilty to the charges.

Many Twitter users were upset at Brittney Griner's treatment and the US Government's lackaction in the matter. They took to social media to share their thoughts. Many compared the situation to a hypothetical. If it was Tom Brady who was being imprisoned by Russia, they think it would have been handled differently.

Here are the top comments:

Why is Brittney Griner being compared to Tom Brady?

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Tom Brady is often referred to as the greatest of all time among NFL quarterbacks. He has won seven Super Bowls and is top of nearly every individual quarterback career stat. Brittney Griner falls into this category in the WNBA.

She is one of the 11 women to have won the WNBA championship, the NCAA championship, the Olympic Gold Medal and the FIBA World Cup Gold Medal. She is an eight-time WNBA All-Star and two-time scoring champion. In 2012, she was awarded the player of the year by AP. Outside the WNBA, she has won the Euroleague and the Russian National League.

It was for the latter's commitment that she was in Russia. After the war broke out and she was exiting customs, cannabis oil (a banned substance in Russia) was found in her possession. She was initially detained and after pleading guilty she was sentenced to nine years in prison.

President Joe Biden has condemned her sentencing. However, this has been lambasted by critics as merely symbolic, even though the government is working towards a resolution. At the moment, it is unclear how long she will serve as the US Government is looking at a prisoner swap deal to bring her home.