Brittney Griner files for annulment of 28-day marriage to Glory Johnson
Phoenix Mercury star Brittney Griner filed paperwork to annul her 28-day marriage to Tulsa Shock forward Glory Johnson, according to her agent Lindsay Kagawa Colas.
Griner claims she was "pressured into marriage under duress" and said "fraudulent statements" were made by Johnson, according to documents filed in Maricopa County (Ariz.) Superior Court and obtained by Paste BN Sports. The documents were time-stamped as filed on Friday.
If the court denies the annulment, Griner's filing requests that any divorce proceeding also be held in Maricipa County.
The decision comes on the heels of Johnson announcing Thursday that she is pregnant and will not play this season.
In the court filing, Griner notes that she has no biological relationship to the couple's unborn child. Johnson became pregnant by in-vitro fertilization using donated sperm.
Both players were suspended seven games for the WNBA season following arrests in April that led to domestic violence charges. Three weeks after the domestic dispute, the pair married in May.
"Last Wednesday, Glory and I agreed to either legally separate, get divorced, or annul our marriage," Griner said in a statement provided to Paste BN Sports."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."
In a statement on Thursday, Johnson said of her pregnancy: "It has always been a dream of mine to start a family with someone I love. Being a professional athlete that plays year round, there is never a perfect time to get pregnant without putting my career on hold."
According to the police report of the couple's altercation, the couple engaged in "mutual combat." However, Johnson told Sports Illustrated that she was the victim and argued the WNBA's investigation and punishment.
Griner entered a diversion program, agreeing to plead guilty to disorderly conduct and attend 26 weeks of counseling. Upon successful completion of the program, the charge will be wiped from her record. Johnson's case was transferred to a jurisdiction without a diversion program, and her case is still pending.