“I made an honest mistake,” Brittney Griner told the judge in her testimony before the sentencing, adding, “I hope that in your ruling that it doesn’t end my life here'
Photo: Barry Gossage/NBAE via Getty Images As tensions between the U.S. and Russia continue to rise amid the latter’s invasion of Ukraine, an American WNBA star has been detained in Russia for months. Brittney Griner, the two-time Olympic gold medalist who plays for the Phoenix Mercury in the WNBA and for Russia’s UMMC Ekaterinburg during the off-season, was arrested on drug charges in February after Customs found vape cartridges in her luggage at the airport.
Griner’s arrest in Russia is especially troubling given her high-profile status as an American athlete and her identity as an LGBTQ+ Black woman. Russian president Vladimir Putin has taken an active stance against LGBTQ+ rights, having declared in 2020 that he would never legalize same-sex marriage in the country.
In April, the Biden administration announced that Trevor Reed — a U.S. Marine veteran who has been detained in Russia since 2019 — had been released as part of a prisoner swap between Russia and the U.S., renewing scrutiny of Griner’s case. In June, a spokesperson for the Kremlin denied Griner was being held hostage or used as a political pawn, telling NBC in an interview that she was no different from “hundreds and hundreds of Russian citizens that were sentenced for carrying hashish.
As her trial began, Griner wrote a personal letter to the president. On July 4, Griner’s family delivered a handwritten letter from the basketball player to President Joe Biden. “As I sit here in a Russian prison, alone with my thoughts and without the protection of my wife, family, friends, Olympic jersey or any accomplishments, I’m terrified I might be here forever,” Griner wrote. “I realize you are dealing with so much, but please don’t forget about me and the other American detainees.
Griner’s wife, Cherelle Griner, appeared on CBS Mornings on July 5 to defend her wife against Russia’s allegations of drug trafficking and express her disappointment in Biden. Cherelle said that while she doesn’t know why her wife decided to write to Biden directly, she suspects it’s because of his failure to meet with her family directly.
Griner held up photos of her wife, teammates, and friends in court, using her court appearance to send a message to her wife, Cherelle, who just graduated law school. “Good luck on the bar exam,” she told an ABC News reporter. When asked if she had any complaints in her detainment, she said, “No, no complaints. Just waiting patiently.” Elizabeth Rood, the U.S.
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