WNBA star Brittney Griner canceled a speaking engagement at a cannabis convention outside Washington, D.C. after reportedly finding a note duct taped near her hotel room door, which she perceived as a threat.
But police say that missive reading “Gay Baby Jail” didn’t appear to be intended for the gay basketball star, who spent almost all of 2022 in a Russian prison after being stopped in an airport carrying a small amount of cannabis oil.
The Olympic gold medalist had been billed as a featured speaker at the 2025 Women Grow Leadership Summit, hosted by Maryland’s Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center on Monday and Tuesday. That’s where Griner spotted what was at first seen as a threatening note and decided to leave, according to TMZ.
But according to the Prince George’s County Police Department, “the phrase ‘gay baby jail’ is commonly used as a video game reference,” they told the outlet, adding that a video game and anime convention had been taking place at the Gaylord at the same time as the Women Grow Summit.
The connection seemed to be coincidental and not a threat, cops said. Still, detectives are reportedly still trying to figure out who left the note and welcome further information.
Women Grow CEO Dr. Chanda Macias said she was excited to have Griner speak, but understood why the athlete would err on the side of caution.
“If there was a woman that feels threatened at any reason whatsoever, they should do what they feel is best for them,” Macias told local station WUSA9.
Griner was arrested in Moscow in February 2022 and sentenced to nine years in a Russian prison. She was released 10 months later after the U.S. and Russia agreed to a prisoner swap. Griner confessed in an ABC News interview that she thought about taking her own life while in captivity.