Fox News Flash top sports headlines for December 8
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The world woke up Thursday morning to the news that WNBA star Brittney Griner had been released from Russian custody roughly 10 months after being arrested for bringing vape cartridges containing hashish oil through a Moscow airport.
Griner was freed from a Russian penal colony in exchange for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, a U.S. official confirmed to Fox News.
WNBA star and two-time Olympic gold medalist Brittney Griner is escorted from a courtroom after a hearing in Khimki, just outside Moscow, on Aug. 4, 2022. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, File)
Notably, the prisoner swap left another U.S. citizen in Russian custody.
BRITTNEY GRINER'S RELEASE FROM RUSSIAN LEAVES WIFE CHERELLE 'OVERWHELMED WITH EMOTIONS'
Paul Whelan, a U.S. Marine veteran, was not involved in the exchange. Whelan was sentenced to 16 years in 2018 for espionage charges.
Whelan’s absence in the deal did not go unnoticed by Dallas Cowboys star linebacker Micah Parsons.
"Wait nah!! We left a marine?!! Hell nah," Parsons posted to his Twitter account.
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President Biden announced Griner’s release early Thursday morning, posting a picture with Griner’s wife Cherelle Griner and Vice President Kamala Harris.
Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons anticipates a play during a game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin, on Nov. 13, 2022. (Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
"Moments ago I spoke to Brittney Griner," the tweet read. "She is safe. She is on a plane. She is on her way home."
The administration has faced mounting pressure to bring Griner home for the past several months, and this will certainly be touted by the administration as a political win. However, getting Griner back to the U.S. apparently is not enough to earn Parsons’ vote in 2024.
"We still not voting for you!" Parsons said in a now-deleted tweet.
(Twitter)
As the tweet went viral, Parsons deleted his criticism of Biden, posting an explanation and an apology for tweeting "out of emotion."
"Just spoke to some people that I respect and trust. 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," Parsons posted to Twitter.
"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. I am not too prideful to admit when I’ve made a mistake."
Micah Parsons of the Dallas Cowboys walks off the field after a game against the New York Giants in Arlington, Texas, on Nov. 24, 2022. (Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
Parsons is having another incredible season for the Cowboys after being named the 2021 AP Defensive Rookie of the Year in his first season.
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Parsons has 12 sacks and 13 tackles for loss as the Cowboys are 9-3 on the season, two games back of the Philadelphia Eagles for first place in the NFC East.
Dallas will square off against the Houston Texans in Week 14.