Cowboys LB Micah Parsons backtracks on initial criticism of Brittney Griner prisoner trade

The Phoenix Mercury center and seven-time All-Star was arrested in February at a Moscow airport and convicted on drug possession charges. In early May, the U.S. government declared that Griner was being wrongfully detained.

Griner was sentenced to nine years in prison in August after she pleaded guilty to the charges in July. It was reported that a guilty plea would likely be a requirement of any prisoner swap between the U.S. and Russia.

It was revealed in late July that President Joe Biden and his administration had offered a deal to the Russian government for the release of Griner, a trade that included bringing the 32-year-old and another imprisoned American, Paul Whelan, back to the states in exchange for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout. According to reports on Thursday morning, Russia would only do the deal as a one-for-one swap including Bout and Griner.

In September, a bevy of WNBA All-Stars decided that they wouldn't be playing in Russia this offseason due to the Griner situation. For decades, Russia has been the "preferred destination" for players to compete due to high salaries that can exceed $1 million and the "resources and amenities teams offered them," according to an ESPN report.