Ins-and-Outs of Brittney Griner's Case

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It was reported yesterday that WNBA star, Brittney Griner has pleaded guilty to drug charges in Russia. This news erupts after Griner was able to send a handwritten letter to President Joe Biden, stating she feared spending the rest of her life in prison while pushing the administration to not forget about other American detainees. While this motion sounds grim, this plea may have accelerated her case to a path toward freedom. The Phoenix Mercury star has been detained in Russia since February 17th after Russian officials accused her of having hashish oil in her luggage at an airport near Moscow, New York Times reports. Griner had been in Russia to compete for UMMC Yekaterinburg, a professional women’s basketball team. Many top WNBA players are forced to juggle playing overseas in the winter with a WNBA career in the summer to accumulate better financial gain. Therefore, playing overseas has resulted in normality for many WNBA players. Perhaps this price gap between NBA and WNBA is for another article, but nonetheless, it is why Griner was overseas in the first place.

Photo: AP / Associated Press

"I'd like to plead guilty, your honour. But there was no intent. I didn't want to break the law," said Griner, speaking in English.

It has been a grueling wait for U.S officials to take action, but after pleading guilty on July 7th, Griner's hopeful that the Biden administration secures her freedom by releasing a Russian, Viktor Bout who's currently serving a 25-year prison sentence on U.S soil. Russian officials confirm that this negotiation can only take place after Griner's trial is over.

Since those allegations, Griner has remained in detention however, the news only erupted on March 5th and caused social media and the sports stations to draw attention to the situation. Griner's family feared the attention would politicize her case, even though they received much support from fans it was still a risk they wanted to avoid. To make matters worse, all of this occurred during Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Many feared for Griner's safety as very little was known regarding her case at the time, especially since the United States and Russia have had a long tense relationship. On May 3rd, the United States Department said Griner had been "wrongfully detained" and those government officials who dealt with hostage affairs would work on her release.

Photo: Getty Images

Since then, social media and tabloids have erupted surrounding Griner's case. Celebrities, NBA stars, and WNBA stars have shown their support for Griner in numerous ways to spread awareness of her situation. Phoenix Mercury loudly proclaimed their support for their teammate and urged the Biden administration to work to secure her freedom. Griner has built a strong bond with her team as she's been with the team since 2013, and they’ve shown support since the very beginning.

As we patiently wait for the verdict, we have our fingers crossed for Griner to safely return back home.