WNBA Suspends Brittney Griner and Glory Johnson

Newlywed WNBA stars Brittney Griner and Glory Johnson have each been suspended for seven games as punishment for a violent quarrel between the two in April.

The suspension, effective with the beginning of the season in June, is the longest in league history, and the two must also attend individual counseling sessions, The New York Times reports.

WNBA president Laurel J. Richie, in announcing the suspensions today, said all athletes “must abide by the league’s standards of conduct. In this case, Brittney and Glory failed to do so, and that is unacceptable.”

The women were arrested April 22 after a fight at their home in a Phoenix suburb. Griner, a star with the Phoenix Mercury, “received a bite wound on her finger and scratches on her wrist,” according to a WNBA investigation, while Johnson, who plays for the Tulsa Shock, “received a scratch above her lip and was diagnosed with a concussion.”

Both were arrested on suspicion of assault and disorderly conduct. Griner has pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct and agreed to attend 26 weeks of domestic violence counseling; if she completes the counseling, the charges will be dropped, the Times reports. The case against Johnson, who has pleaded not guilty, is still pending.

After entering her plea, Griner issued a statement saying, “This will never happen again, and I take my relationship and my responsibility as a role model seriously.”

The women married May 8 at a resort in Phoenix.

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