Expectant mother Glory Johnson speaks out about 28-day marriage to Brittney Griner
Expectant mother Glory Johnson speaks out about 28-day marriage to Brittney Griner
WNBA star Glory Johnson is speaking out to set the record straight about the highly-publicized end to her marriage with fellow basketball player Brittney Griner after just 28 days.
The 24-year-old Tulsa Shock player and Griner, who plays for the Phoenix Mercury, filed for an annulment earlier this month, just one day after Johnson announced she was pregnant by a sperm donor.
In a tearful interview with ESPN last week, Griner, also 24, said that she felt pressured into getting married and was having negative thoughts about the union leading up to the big day.
But Johnson says that wasn’t the case, and that Griner’s change of heart was sudden and surprising.
‘I am truly really saddened by the recent turn of events and was not expecting to have our marriage end so abruptly,’ Johnson wrote in an email to the Associated Press on Friday, adding that she wants to address ‘inaccurate statements’ about their marriage and her pregnancy.
‘At no stage was Brittney pressured to undertake the fertility process.
‘In fact, throughout the entire process, Brittney was a willing participant, consenting and signing all the necessary documents that needed to be signed in order to move forward with the treatments.
‘In addition, while we may have both had our reservations, we both willfully and joyfully walked down the aisle together and decided to get married.’
Griner and Johnson were married on May 9, just three weeks after they were both arrested on domestic violence charges following a fight at their home in suburban Phoenix.
Both players were suspended seven games after their arrests and Griner agreed to undergo 26 weeks of domestic violence counseling as part of a plea agreement.
In the aftermath of the fight, both players apologized and said they worked out their differences – but Griner said she should have given herself more time before they walked down the aisle.
‘With everything going on and counseling and classes, it just wasn’t the right way to start off a marriage,’ Griner told ESPN. ‘It wasn’t the right way to start off a unity like that. I wanted to take time to get myself right and – shouldn’t have done it.’
She said they agreed to go their separate ways.
The two filed for annulment on June 5, and TMZ reports that Griner cited ‘fraud and duress’ and reaons for the marriage’s end.
The following day, Johnson announced she was pregnant by posting a picture of a ‘bun in the oven’ cake on Instagram. She used a sperm donor and IVF treatments to conceive for the couple, according to TMZ.
Johnson will be taking the next season off from basketball, as she prepares for her new baby.
‘I am ready to begin focusing on my health, pregnancy, and am going to remain in Tulsa to continue to build my relationship with the Tulsa Shock organization, and my teammates,’ Johnson said on Friday. ‘I appreciate the support of my fans, family, and loved ones and look forward to returning to the basketball court as soon as I can.
