Dallas Cowboys Linebacker Micah Parsons criticized the prisoner swap of Phoenix Mercury player Brittney Griner in exchange for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.

Parsons reacted to a tweet from CBS White House Correspondent Steven Portnoy, who mentioned that retired Marine Paul Whelan was not also released, despite him being behind bars in Russia for the past four years.

“Wait nah!! We left a marine?!! Hell nah,” Parsons tweeted.

Wait nah!! We left a marine?!! Hell nah https://t.co/3AeQx8K9OZ

— Micah Parsons (@MicahhParsons11) December 8, 2022

Parsons quickly received backlash in his comments section, as some said they felt “confused” by what the linebacker was trying to say.

“It was a choice to get Brittany Griner or nothing. Russia wasn’t wiling to make any concessions to get Paul Whalen home. You think we should of just left Brittany? I’m confused,” Jonas Gray Sr., who is a former NFL player, said.

It was a choice to get Brittany Griner or nothing. Russia wasn’t wiling to make any concessions to get Paul Whalen home. You think we should of just left Brittany? I’m confused.

— Jonas Gray Sr. (@jgray_ND25) December 8, 2022

In order to clarify, Parsons had to put out another tweet saying that he had nothing against Griner, but said he felt the need to point out that Whelan also deserves to be out of Russian custody too. Whelan told CNN that he was surprised that he was not released along with her.

“My last tweet was no shot at Brittney Griner. I’m super happy she’s back home as she should be. I just have family who have served and it’s crazy to me the President wouldn’t bring him home too. I’m the furthest thing from a trump supporter but I’m not a fan of Biden either,” he said.

My last tweet was no shot at Brittney Griner. I’m super happy she’s back home as she should be. I just have family who have served and it’s crazy to me the President wouldn’t bring him home too. I’m the furthest thing from a trump supporter but I’m not a fan of Biden either.

— Micah Parsons (@MicahhParsons11) December 8, 2022

Of course, this was not enough for some, and more continued to show outrage in the comments.

Did he really need to clarify his comments? Probably not, but this is the standard nowadays. People get too easily offended by what gets said on social media, and there’s usually confusion by anybody trying to covey nuance of an opinion that may even be slightly unpopular.

Parsons was simply trying to point out this prisoner swap situation may be more complicated in the big picture, especially since there are other Americans being held in Russia.

Griner has been in Russian custody since February, and she was found guilty of drug possession in August and sentenced to nine years in prison, as RedState reported:

A Russian court on Tuesday rejected WNBA star Brittney Griner’s appeal of her 9-year sentence for possessing vape cartridges containing cannabis oil, meaning the 32-year-old American citizen will now be sent to serve out the rest of her sentence at a penal colony. Griner plays professional basketball in Russia during the WNBA offseason but was arrested in February of 2022 after Russian authorities found the contraband in her luggage at the Moscow airport.