Brittney Griner Arrested With Fiancée Glory Johnson

The booking photos released by the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office show the W.N.B.A. players Brittney Griner, left, and her fiancee, Glory Johnson. Credit Maricopa County Sheriff's Office, via Associated Press 

The basketball star Brittney Griner and her fiancée, Glory Johnson, who is also an All-Star player in the W.N.B.A., were arrested on Wednesday on suspicion of assault and disorderly conduct related to domestic violence after the couple fought at their newly purchased house outside Phoenix, the authorities said.

Griner and Johnson, both 24, were released from jail by early Thursday. Neither needed medical treatment nor wanted to prosecute the other, according to a report by the police in Goodyear, Ariz.

Griner, who helped lead the Phoenix Mercury to the 2014 W.N.B.A. title, and Johnson, who plays for the Tulsa Shock, became engaged last August. They had been scheduled to marry next month, news reports said.

The couple began arguing and “throwing things at each other” on Wednesday afternoon, and Johnson’s sister called the police after the players could not be separated, The Arizona Republic said, citing a police report.

Griner told the police that she and Johnson had been under stress lately as they planned their wedding, bought a house together and managed their relationship. According to The Republic, Griner told officers: “It turned into a fight. Broke up. We kept arguing, mouthing back and forth, clashed again, separated us, clashed again, separated us and here we are now.”

The W.N.B.A. said only that it was aware of the episode and seeking more information. The Mercury and the Shock made similar statements.

David Michael Cantor, the lawyer for Griner, said: “The last few months have been an extremely stressful time for Brittney and Glory. They will continue to work through these hardships together and ask that the media respect their privacy as they handle this family matter. Glory and Brittney sincerely apologize for the distraction this has caused their families, respective teams, the W.N.B.A., sponsors and fans.”

As a freshman at Baylor in 2010, Griner punched the Texas Tech player Jordan Barncastle in retaliation for rough play during a game. Griner later became a national player of the year and led Baylor to a 40-0 record and an N.C.A.A. title during the 2011-12 season.

Last season, the 6-foot-8 Griner was named the W.N.B.A.’s defensive player of the year after setting a league record with 129 blocked shots. She also helped the United States win the world championship and has been expected to make the Olympic team for the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro.

It was too early to tell if Griner’s arrest would affect her chances of playing in the Olympics.

Hope Solo, the starting goalkeeper on the American women’s soccer team, was charged with misdemeanor counts of domestic violence last year, but all charges were dropped in January. Solo remains the starter as this summer’s World Cup and next summer’s Olympics approach.

Cr  :  New York Times