Brittney Griner files to have marriage to Glory Johnson annulled

ByKate Fagan ESPN logo
Saturday, June 6, 2015

Brittney Griner has filed papers seeking to annul her 29-day marriage to Glory Johnson.

"Last Wednesday, Glory and I agreed to either legally separate, get divorced, or annul our marriage," Griner said in a statement Friday. "I can confirm that today I filed for an annulment. In the week prior to the wedding, I attempted to postpone the wedding several times until I completed counseling, but I still went through with it. I now realize that was a mistake."

Despite Griner's statement that the couple had discussed a divorce or annulment, Johnson's agent, D.J. Fisher, said in a statement late Friday that she was unaware of the filing and was "extremely hurt and blindsided" by Griner's actions.

"She loves Brittney and made a huge sacrifice to carry a child, put her career on hold, invest in their relationship and their future," Fisher said, adding that Johnson was requesting privacy.

The two WNBA stars married May 8, just three weeks after both were arrested in Arizona on domestic violence charges.

Griner entered a diversion program, agreeing to plead guilty to disorderly conduct and attend 26 weeks of counseling. Once the Phoenix Mercury center completes the program, the charge will be wiped from her record. Johnson's case was transferred to a jurisdiction without a diversion program, so her case is still pending. She must either fight the case in court or reach a plea agreement.

The WNBA investigated the altercation -- listed by the police as "mutual combat" -- and suspended both players seven games.

In an article published Wednesday by Sports Illustrated, Johnson was quoted as saying she was the victim in the altercation.

"I'm not going to throw Brittney under the bus ... and she's not going to throw me under the bus ... [but] what the [WNBA] did not say in the statements they released was that I pled not guilty," Johnson told SI. "... So for them to release a statement saying that we were both guilty in the situation, it's not right. It's not correct. ... Brittney pled guilty ... Brittney understands why I pled not guilty, and I understand why she pled guilty. ... She was even willing to speak to whoever she needed to, to get the point across."

The news of Griner's filing comes one day after Johnson announced on Instagram that she is pregnant. The Tulsa Shock later confirmed that Johnson would miss the 2015 WNBA season due to the pregnancy.

"It has always been a dream of mine to start a family with someone I love," Johnson said in a statement provided by the team. "Being a professional athlete that plays year round, there is never a perfect time to get pregnant without putting my career on hold. The entire process, from learning our fertility options, to making sacrifices necessary nine months before the child is born, is merely preparing me to become a great wife and an even better mother."

The WNBA season opened Friday night.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

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