Fact Check: The Truth About the Claim Brittney Griner Received $62K in Student Loan Forgiveness
Facebook page America's Last Line of Defense
Claim:
WNBA star Brittney Griner received $62,000 in student loan forgiveness despite having a net worth of $140 million.
Rating:
Labeled Satire (About this rating?)
On June 24, 2024, Facebook page America's Last Line of Defense (ALLOD) made a post claiming that WNBA star Brittney Griner had received $62,000 in student loan forgiveness despite having a net worth of $140 million:
As of this writing, the post had received around 1,600 reactions and around 4,100 shares.
This claim was not true. The Facebook page that posted it, America's Last Line of Defense, describes its output as being humorous or satirical in nature. The page is classified as "Satire/Parody" on Facebook, and it includes the following disclaimer in its Info section:
The flagship of the ALLOD network of trollery.
Nothing on this page is real.
The lower-left corner of the meme also displayed a "satire" rating label.
In a comment left on the post, visible in the screenshot below, the owner of the page further clarified that the story did not take place in reality, noting that it "actually happened on Earth 7, but money works differently there."
There is no evidence that Griner, who attended Baylor University on a basketball scholarship, has received any student loan forgiveness at the time of this reporting. CelebrityNetWorth estimated the basketball player's net worth to be around $5 million, far lower than the $140 million claimed in the post.
Like her fellow WNBA players Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark, Griner is a common target of "satire" pages like America's Last Line of Defense, whose content is sometimes confused with real news.
For background, here is why we sometimes write about satire/humor.
Sources:
"Brittney Griner Net Worth." Celebrity Net Worth, 29 Apr. 2022, https://www.celebritynetworth.com/richest-athletes/nba/brittney-griner-net-worth/.
"Griner Powers Baylor to the Top of the Class Rankings." ESPN.Com, 20 Nov. 2008, https://www.espn.com/college-sports/recruiting/basketball/womens/news/story?id=3715391.
Hardinges, Nick. "Caitlin Clark Signed Multi-Million Dollar Deal with Samsung?" Snopes, 20 June 2024, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/caitlin-clark-multi-million-deal-with-samsung/.
Kasprak, Alex. "Angel Reese Facing 'Financial Turmoil' After Losing $50M in Endorsements?" Snopes, 25 June 2024, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/angel-reese-50-million/.
Liles, Jordan. "Caitlin Clark Joined Women's National Team After Brittney Griner Released for 'Undisclosed Reasons'?" Snopes, 14 June 2024, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/clark-griner-womens-team/.
Mikkelson, David. "Why We Include Humor and Satire in Snopes.Com." Snopes, 15 Aug. 2019, https://www.snopes.com//notes/why-we-include-humor-and-satire-in-snopes-com/.