Former NFL quarterback Boomer Esiason sounded off on the U.S. government’s decision to exchange WNBA star Brittney Griner for international arms dealer Viktor Bout in a prisoner swap on Thursday, saying that the country looked “pathetic” for making the deal.
Speaking on WFAN’s Boomer & Gio show Thursday morning, Esiason made clear that he was happy for Griner to be headed home, but that he didn’t like leaving fellow wrongfully detained American Paul Whelan behind in Russia. Whelan, a former U.S. Marine, was arrested in 2018 and imprisoned on espionage charges.
Though Whelan’s family issued a statement expressing their support for Griner’s safe return, Esiason did not sound pleased about the deal struck by the U.S. government.
