Did Riley Gaines Really Criticize WNBA Star Brittney Griner for Kneeling During National Anthem at the Paris Olympics?
Did Riley Gaines really criticize Brittney Griner for kneeling during the National Anthem while she stood on podium at the Paris Olympics? Exploring viral rumor.
![Did Riley Gaines Criticize Brittney Griner for Kneeling During the Olympics National Anthem? (PC: Instagram) Did Riley Gaines Criticize Brittney Griner for Kneeling During the Olympics National Anthem?](https://www.pinkvilla.com/images/2024-08/1432557276_brittney-griner-1.jpg)
Several social media pages and users have posted a rumor regarding Brittney Griner that the WNBA star was criticized by Riley Gaines for kneeling during the National Anthem at the Paris Olympics, which had its closing ceremony recently.
Among the users who posted the report, a popular page that goes by the name NBA News posted something related to the speculations. Not just this, there were several other accounts to post the rumor on, including a page named Fabulous Celebrities.
The aforementioned page published a post with the caption, “Riley Gaines laid into Brittney Griner for kneeling during the National Anthem.” The post further wrote a quote that read, “You don’t have to sing anything, but you need to show some respect for the country that saved you from a Russian gulag.”
The post had around 1.6k likes, around 400 comments, and 148 shares as of this writing. The majority of the responses in the comment box seemed to have believed the news.
Additionally, the post itself had a comment in the comment section that read, “Read below for more details,” by dropping a site which, when you open it, says “has been suspended.”
Meanwhile, the widely circulated news involving the women's basketball player and the American former competitive swimmer has no evidence to be true. The aforementioned quotes are also not verified by a reliable source. In fact, Griner did not even kneel down during the National Anthem.
It all started with a meme page called America’s Last Line of Defense on Facebook, which often publishes such posts for entertainment, and they don't claim it to be related to real-life events. The page describes itself as “satire” in nature and warns its audience not to go by what is written on the page.
They also say the page is not responsible for any action taken by anyone in accordance with any post published by the page since it is a parody and satire. One must only read and laugh at such reports and pass them on instead of believing such posts on the internet.
It is very easy for anyone nowadays to make such posts and publish them online. It has always been said to do our research on the internet before sharing any news for educational purposes rather than for entertainment. Additionally, the quotes and reports need to be verified by some credible evidence and sources.
America’s Last Line of Defense is a popular page on social media that often posts memes and reports that have no factual meaning or relation to real life. The page has been made for entertaining purposes. However, there are many people on the internet who easily believe anything they read on social media.
Meanwhile, Griner was captured in tears after the 33-year-old basketball player heard the first notes of the Star-Spangled Banner and saw the U.S. flag rise high during the recently concluded Paris Olympics in 2024.
The Texas native was full of emotions on the medal stand, and it wasn't long after she spent time in Russian prison before she was brought back to the country.
ALSO READ: WNBA Star Brittney Griner Welcomes Baby Boy With Wife Cherelle Ahead of 2024 Paris Olympics
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