US Officials Met With Brittney Griner, White House Says
The federal government will seek clarification from both the school system and the University of Arkansas after being told by the former cheerleader that she was denied admission after she said her parents were drug dealers.
“I was not denied because of how I looked or where I went to school,” Griner said, according to the White House. “I was not denied because of who I was.”
Griner is currently out of the country on a speaking tour and has not returned to school.
“I am aware of her statements and I stand by her remarks,” U.S. President Donald Trump said. “I know these students. I’m aware of their parents. I understand the issues. These issues need to be addressed quickly, and we will be doing that very shortly.”
The White House said she was told last month that the government had received notification of her admission and the school’s letter.
“We stand with Brittney Griner and have assured the University of Arkansas that we will work with them to address all issues raised in her application to our country. This is a school system that takes its responsibility for the education of its students very seriously,” the White House said.
The University of Arkansas said in a statement that “we deeply regret that this has caused Brittney Griner any extra stress.”
A school spokeswoman said Griner’s admission was delayed “until we received additional information.”
University of Arkansas spokesperson Kim Neely said she was not authorized to speak on behalf of the school system. Arkansas’ admission office, however, said it had received Griner’s notification of her admission status two months ago before she left for a speaking tour.
The university said it can’t comment on individual student affairs, but pointed out that student admission is handled by the Arkansas Department of Higher Education.
“To further investigate and answer the questions asked by the White House we are able to share the below response from the University of Arkansas,” Neely said.
“After further study, the university has determined that it could not fulfill the student’s request for financial aid and did not admit her to the University of Arkansas.”
“If the application of
