Brittney Griner, a professional American basketball player, was detained in Russia in 2022 for possessing hashish oil, and her detention was considered wrongful by the US State Department.

Griner was sentenced to nine years in prison for drug smuggling, but her case was highly publicized, and many believed that her detention was a political move to gain leverage over the US.

The US government, including President Joe Biden, was involved in Griner's case and worked towards her release, with Biden signing off on a prisoner swap to bring Griner home.

Griner's release was eventually secured through a prisoner swap, in which she was exchanged for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.

During her detention, Griner received support from fellow athletes, including those from the WNBA, and her wife, Cherelle, who provided steadfast support throughout the ordeal.

The WNBA and NBA also provided full support to Griner, with the WNBA allowing private flights for back-to-back games and playoff games to help players like Griner who had experienced traumatic events.

Griner's experience highlights the pay disparity between NBA and WNBA players, with many WNBA players, including Griner, forced to play overseas during the off-season to supplement their income.

The US government has limited power to intervene in cases like Griner's, but the State Department classified her as wrongfully detained and worked towards her release.

Griner's case also highlights the need for better support systems for athletes who have experienced traumatic events, such as wrongful detention, with many calling for improved resources and support for athletes in similar situations.

The WNBA has improved pay and travel standards for players since Griner's detention, but more work needs to be done to provide better support for athletes who have experienced traumatic events.

Griner's return to the WNBA after her release increased viewership and attendance, with many fans showing support for the athlete who had been through a traumatic experience.

The #WeAreBG movement and other initiatives helped Griner cope with her detention, and she has expressed gratitude for the support she received during that time.

Billie Jean King and Stephen Curry were among the many athletes who advocated for Griner's release, highlighting the need for support and resources for athletes who have experienced traumatic events.

The US government's efforts to free Griner, including the prisoner swap, demonstrate the importance of government support for athletes who have been wrongfully detained.

Griner's adjustment to life back at home after her release has been supported by her team, the Phoenix Mercury, and the WNBA, which has provided resources and support to help her readjust to life after her traumatic experience.

The support systems and resources in place to help athletes like Griner who have experienced traumatic events, such as wrongful detention, include the WNBA's improved pay and travel standards, as well as initiatives like the #WeAreBG movement.

However, more work needs to be done to provide better support for athletes in similar situations, including improved resources and support for athletes who have experienced traumatic events.

Griner's experience in the Russian penitentiary system was marked by harsh conditions, including hard labor and limited medical treatment.

She was held in a remote Russian penal colony, where she was imprisoned for possessing vape cartridges with cannabis oil.

Griner's case sparked outrage in the United States, with many calling for her release, including the WNBA and other athletes.

The US government offered to release Viktor Bout in exchange for Griner and another American prisoner, Paul Whelan.

Griner's release was a result of US government efforts, and she was finally able to return home after her ordeal in the Russian prison system.

Griner's story highlights the challenges faced by American citizens detained abroad, particularly in countries with tense diplomatic relationships with the US.

The US government considered Brittney Griner's arrest in Russia as unjust and worked to secure her release, with the Biden administration classifying her as "wrongfully detained".

The US government found that Russia had illegally detained Brittney Griner, and the State Department led an interagency task force to secure her release.

Secretary Blinken planned to discuss Griner's release with Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov, and the US made a substantial proposal for her release.

The Biden administration committed to negotiating Griner's release, with President Biden wanting all US nationals held abroad to be released.

The US government assigned diplomats to handle Griner's release and the National Security Council made efforts to bring her back.

The US government changed its approach to secure Griner's release, with the State Department leading the efforts.

The US submitted an offer to Russia for Griner's release, and Secretary Blinken planned to follow up on the proposal with Lavrov personally.

The US government considered Griner's release a priority, and Bill Richardson, a former Governor, traveled to Moscow to discuss Griner's release.

Richardson represented Griner's family and helped free Trevor Reed through a prisoner exchange, and the US sought to exchange Viktor Bout for Griner and Paul Whelan.

The US government urged Russia to release Brittney Griner through a prisoner exchange, and Secretary Blinken spoke with Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov about Griner's release.

The US offered to trade Victor Bout for Griner and Paul Whelan, and the US government considered Whelan and Griner "unjustly detained".

Griner's wife met with President Biden at the White House, and the Biden administration worked to release Griner from Russian prison.

The US classified Griner as "wrongfully detained" in May, and the Biden administration offered to exchange Viktor Bout for Griner.

The US government worked on a potential prison swap with Russia, and Griner was sentenced to nine years in Russian prison.

The Biden administration was doing everything to bring Griner home, and the US wanted Russia to accept the deal for Griner's release.

LeBron James criticized the US effort to bring home Brittney Griner, calling on President Biden to bring Griner home swiftly.

Griner pleaded guilty to carrying cannabis oil in Russia and could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted.

Griner wrote a letter to Biden urging her release, and President Biden told Griner's wife he was working for her release.

The US House passed a resolution for Griner's immediate release, and the US government received Griner's letter requesting help.

The State Department met with the WNBA team over Brittney Griner's detention, and the Biden administration worked to free Brittney Griner from Russia.

The US government had a specialized office for hostages like Griner, and Griner's case was overseen by the Presidential Commissioner for Hostage Affairs.

The US officials considered Brittney Griner wrongfully detained in Russia, and the Biden administration planned to aggressively work for her release.

The US made a substantial offer to release Brittney Griner, and US officials called Griner's detention wrongful.

The Biden administration offered to swap Brittney Griner for Viktor Bout, and negotiations were in the early stages.

Brittney Griner returned to the US after 10 months in a Russian prison, where she was detained for possessing cannabis oil in an e-cigarette case.

She was sentenced to nine years in prison by a Russian court, but was released through a US-Russia prisoner exchange before the New Year.

Griner cut her dreadlocks before her release from the Russian prison to prevent them from freezing in the cold Russian winter.

She made the decision to cut her hair two weeks prior to her release, driven by survival instincts and necessity.

After her release, Griner thanked President Joe Biden for helping to secure her freedom and announced her plans to play for the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury in the upcoming season.

Griner played for the Phoenix Mercury in a WNBA pre-season warm-up, scoring 10 points and 3 rebounds in 17 minutes of play.

She averaged 17.7 points and 7.6 rebounds in her 9-year WNBA career and helped the Mercury win the 2014 WNBA championship.

Griner expressed gratitude to be back playing basketball in the US and thanked the people who helped secure her release on Instagram.

She spent 294 days in Russian custody and was released on December 8 through the prisoner exchange with Viktor Bout.

Griner's return to the US was marked by a warm welcome, and she was transported to Brooke Army Medical Center's reintegration center for evaluation and treatment.

She may undergo mental health evaluations at UT Health San Antonio as part of her reintegration process.

Griner's family thanked President Joe Biden for his role in securing her release, and she was seen smiling upon her arrival at San Antonio's air base.

Griner was heckled at Dallas airport by YouTuber Alex Stein, prompting the WNBA to take steps to ensure her safety during travel.

The Phoenix Mercury made travel adjustments for upcoming games, including charter flights, to prioritize Griner's safety and comfort.

Griner scored 29 points in a win over the Indiana Fever and has been silent when asked about Vladimir Putin and her prison release.

She feels great wearing her Phoenix jersey again and is using her platform to support other prisoners.

Griner is surprised by the massive coverage of her story and is ready to bring attention to the WNBA.

She is grateful to be back in the media and didn't expect a quick return to normal.

Griner met with Vice President Kamala Harris on her return to the US and expressed gratitude towards her fans and supporters.

She appeared emotional during her introduction and made

Brittney Griner, a professional American basketball player, was detained in Russia in 2022 for possessing hashish oil, and her detention was considered wrongful by the US State Department.

Title:

Content: Brittney Griner to make another court appearance at a hearing in Russia

The content originally appeared on: CNN

CNN

WNBA star Brittney Griner is expected to make another court appearance Thursday, a week after she pleaded guilty to drug charges at a Russian court near Moscow.

The two-time US Olympic basketball gold medalist was arrested February 17 at a Moscow airport, a week before Russia invaded Ukraine. Russian authorities claimed she had cannabis oil in her luggage and accused her of smuggling significant amounts of a narcotic substance, an offense punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

The hearing comes as many in the WNBA, along with other athletes, coaches and politicians, have called for Griner’s release over fears she is being used as a political pawn amid the war in Ukraine. The US State Department has classified Griner as wrongfully detained.

Griner also wrote a letter to President Joe Biden in which she said she fears she will be detained in Russia indefinitely and pleaded for the President not to forget about her or other American detainees.

“I realize you are dealing with so much, but please don’t forget about me and the other American Detainees. Please do all you can to bring us home,” Griner wrote. “I voted for the first time in 2020 and I voted for you. I believe in you. I still have so much good to do with my freedom that you can help restore.”

It is unclear if the hearing on Thursday will lead to a verdict or if the trial could drag into additional hearings. Griner admitted guilt in the last hearing but told the court that she had not intended to commit a crime, state news agency RIA Novosti reported.

During Thursday’s hearing, the court could force the defense to expand further on her intention, or they could move on to sentencing her, US officials said.

Griner’s lawyers expect the court to take into account the 31-year-old athlete’s guilty plea and hope for leniency, Alexander Boykov and Maria Blagovolina told journalists last week.

Samples taken from Griner did not show any traces of drugs, Boykov added. “She was clean, and she was tested,” the lawyer said.

Griner’s legal team said it was her decision to plead guilty, adding that she “sets an example of being brave.”

“She decided to take full responsibility for her actions as she knows that she is a role model for many people,” their statement read.

“Considering the nature of her case, the insignificant amount of the substance and BG’s personality and history of positive contributions to global and Russian sport, the defense hopes that the plea will be considered by the court as a mitigating factor and there will be no severe sentence.”

Her lawyers said they expect the trial to end around the beginning of the August.

CNN’s Kylie Atwood, Rosa Flores, Jacqueline Rose, Alexa Miranda, Abby Phillip, Dakin Andone and Alaa Elassar contributed to this report.

Griner was sentenced to nine years in prison for drug smuggling, but her case was highly publicized, and many believed that her detention was a political move to gain leverage over the US.

Title:

Content: Brittney Griner's Russian detention hits 200-day mark

1 minute read

U.S. basketball player Brittney Griner, who was detained at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport and later charged with illegal possession of cannabis, sits inside a defendants' cage before the court's verdict in Khimki outside Moscow, Russia August 4, 2022. REUTERS/Evgenia Novozhenina/Pool

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September 5 - Monday marked 200 days since WNBA star Brittney Griner was first detained in a Russian airport.

The Phoenix Mercury center was arrested Feb. 17 with vape cartridges containing cannabis oil in her luggage.

Griner, 31, was sentenced to nine years in a penal colony on Aug. 4 on drug smuggling and possession charges.

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On Monday -- Labor Day in the United States -- the Women's National Basketball Players Association issued a plea on social media for all U.S. union members to sign a Change.org petition in support of Griner.

United States President Joe Biden has said Griner is being "wrongfully detained."

Diplomats for Russia and the U.S. have reportedly discussed a prisoner swap to bring Griner and fellow American Paul Whelan home in exchange for the release of convicted arms dealer Viktor Bout.

The No. 1 overall pick in the 2013 WNBA Draft, Griner is a seven-time All-Star and two-time Defensive Player of the Year with career averages of 17.7 points, 7.6 rebounds and 2.8 blocks in 254 games.

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The US government, including President Joe Biden, was involved in Griner's case and worked towards her release, with Biden signing off on a prisoner swap to bring Griner home.

Title:

Content: Breaking

WNBA Star Brittney Griner Released From Russian Captivity in Prisoner Swap

Months after being sentenced to 9 years in prison, WNBA star Brittney Griner was released from Russian detention and is "on her way home," President Joe Biden shared on Dec. 8.

By Jess Cohen, Emlyn Travis Dec 08, 2022 1:33 PMTags
Watch: Brittney Griner: Russia Ready to Discuss Prisoner Swap

After months of heartache, Brittney Griner is officially free.

The WNBA star has been released after 294 days in Russian captivity, a senior administration official announced on Dec. 8. Griner—who was found guilty on drug charges by a Russian court and sentenced to 9 years in prison in August—was traded for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, who was 11 years into a 25 year sentence.

Per the official, President Joe Biden signed off on the trade, which took place in the UAE. American businessman Paul Whelan was not included in the deal.

"Moments ago I spoke to Brittney Griner," the president tweeted Dec. 8 alongside photos of Brittney's wife Cherelle Griner and Vice President Kamala Harris at the White House. "She is safe. She is on a plane. She is on her way home."

This news comes nearly a year after the Phoenix Mercury center, who plays for a Russian team during the off-season, was arrested at Moscow's Sheremetyevo International Airport for allegedly possessing vape cartridges that contained cannabis oil in her luggage.

photos
Stars Arrested Fighting for a Cause

She was later charged with smuggling of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances, their precursors or analogues, and with illegal acquisition, storage, transportation, manufacture, processing of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances or their analogues. During her trial on July 7, Brittney pled guilty to all of the charges but said that she did not act deliberately.

Instagram

"My parents taught me two important things," Brittney told the court through tears following closing arguments on Aug. 4. "Take ownership for your responsibilities and work hard for everything that you have. That's why I plead guilty to my charges. I understand the charges against me. I had no intent to break any Russian laws. I want the courts to understand it was an honest mistake."

She continued, "I never meant to hurt anybody. I never meant to break any Russian laws. I made an honest mistake and I hope that in your ruling that it doesn't end my life here."

Brittney had previously testified that she was legally prescribed medical marijuana by a doctor in the United States. She said she was going through airport security when a member of staff asked her to open her bag, which led to the discovery of the cartridges, per NBC News. After signing documents that she wasn't able to understand without Google Translate, the basketball player was able to call a lawyer before her phone was confiscated.

"At that point it felt like I was being held against my will," she said, according to the outlet. "I asked again what's going on and when can I see my lawyer. I was then told I have to be interrogated."

Instagram

Brittney's legal team later told E! News in a statement that they were "very disappointed" by the court's decision and planned to file an appeal.

"As legal professionals, we believe that the court should be fair to everyone regardless of nationality," they shared. "The court completely ignored all the evidence of the defense, and most importantly, the guilty plea. This contradicts the existing legal practice. Taking into account the amount of the substance (not to mention the defects of the expertise) and the plea, the verdict is absolutely unreasonable. We will certainly file an appeal."

Biden also shared his disappointment. "Russia is wrongfully detaining Brittney," he said in a statement. "It's unacceptable, and I call on Russia to release her immediately so she can be with her wife, loved ones, friends, and teammates."

The president kept in touch with Brittney and wrote her a letter shortly after the athlete sent an open letter to the White House, which arrived on July 4.

During a July 28 press conference, Secretary of State Antony Blinken shared that the administration had "put a substantial proposal on the table weeks ago to facilitate" the release of Brittney and Whelan, per NBC News. "Our governments have communicated repeatedly and directly on that proposal, and I'll use the conversation to follow up personally and, I hope, move us toward a resolution."

Throughout her time in prison, Brittney has received steadfast support from her wife Cherelle as well as fellow athletes including Stephen Curry, Megan Rapinoe and more.

"I have to walk the fine line of harm versus help when it comes to my wife right now," Cherelle told CBS Mornings on July 5. "So, as much as I want to advocate for her and push for our governments to do everything, I also have to take into account that she's in a position where she could be harmed also, by any and everything I do, and so, it's a thin line to walk."

For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News App

Griner's release was eventually secured through a prisoner swap, in which she was exchanged for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.

Title:

Content:
Brittney Griner makes her WNBA comeback on "day of joy"

Los Angeles, California - Brittney Griner made her WNBA comeback for her Phoenix Mercury team on Friday, after spending 10 months in a prison in Russia.

In her first competitive game for almost two years, the center finished with 18 points and six rebounds, but could not prevent Phoenix from slumping to a 94-71 loss to the Los Angeles Sparks.

"It felt good. It felt real good. It felt like the last time I played," Griner said in an on-court interview at the end of the first quarter.

"I appreciate everything a little bit more, all of the small moments," she added. "Tomorrow is not guaranteed, you don’t know what it’s going to look like."

Athletes Ja Morant speaks out after suspension for second gun video

Griner had been given nine years in prison in Russia for drug possession after being detained in 2022 at a Moscow area airport for having a small amount of cannabis oil in her luggage.

She was released after 10 months in exchange for the notorious arms dealer Viktor Bout, who was serving a 25-year sentence in the US.

VP Harris present for Griner's "day of joy"

US Vice President Kamala Harris was also at the Crypto.com arena for the game and gave the Mercury a pre-game speech.

"Thank you for all that you did in supporting Brittney. Because I know that was rough and so difficult for you as a team, as a family," Harris told the team.

Griner said "it was nice to be able to see her face-to-face and thank her for everything."

Athletes Tom Brady gives NFL rookie quarterbacks key advice: "It's the only thing you can do"

For the first time since last season, Phoenix coach Vanessa Nygaard opened her pre-game comments without announcing how many days Griner had been jailed.

"Today is a day of joy. An amazing, amazing thing has happened," Nygaard said.

Cover photo: USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

More on Athletes:

During her detention, Griner received support from fellow athletes, including those from the WNBA, and her wife, Cherelle, who provided steadfast support throughout the ordeal.

The WNBA and NBA also provided full support to Griner, with the WNBA allowing private flights for back-to-back games and playoff games to help players like Griner who had experienced traumatic events.

Title:

Content: ‘She brings light’: Brittney Griner’s triumphant return to the WNBA

Prior to being detained in a Russian prison for 294 days, Brittney Griner was on top of the world.

The 32-year-old was coming off one of the best WNBA seasons of her career. She was the Most Valuable Player runner-up, averaging 20.5 points and 9.5 rebounds for the Phoenix Mercury, who she led back to the WNBA finals for the first time since winning the title in 2014. Meanwhile, Griner was on her way to play for Russian club UMMC Ekaterinburg, who she had led to four EuroLeague titles since she started spending her WNBA off-seasons there in 2014.

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At the time of her arrest Griner was, according to the testimony of her Russian teammate Evgenia Belyakova, “the most beloved player in Russia.”

To become such a popular figure in both America and Russia is no easy task for a gay, Black woman. But Griner’s ascent was never easy. She was bullied relentlessly growing up, first for her size and later for her sexuality, becoming one of the first active athletes in professional North American sports to come out as gay, shortly after being drafted No 1 overall by the Mercury in 2013.

In her first game as a pro, the 6ft 9in Griner towered over her opponents, changing the perceptions of what a female basketball player was capable of when she set a WNBA record with two dunks in a game. Griner went on to win a WNBA title, two Olympic gold medals, and seven WNBA All-Star appearances, on pace to achieve a level of greatness few ever have in the women’s game, and being marketed accordingly.

In fact, Griner was the first openly gay athlete to be endorsed by Nike. And the WNBA used her at the center of its marketing, acknowledging that gay athletes and LGBTQ+ activists like Griner were good for business.

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So when it all came crashing down at a Moscow airport on 17 February 2022, when Griner was found with vape cartridges containing traces of hashish oil in her luggage, not only did her career come to a screeching halt, but the league that she had been bound to since 2013 lost some of its forward momentum, too. She was later sentenced to nine years in Russian prison.

As much as Griner tried to stay positive, and as much as the WNBA community tried to help, a cloud hung over the entire 2022 season – one that would not dissipate until Griner was released and returned to America.

“Last year, it felt as though we couldn’t play with joy … It felt bad for us to be happy or to celebrate things because the weight of BG’s wrongful detainment weighed over us,” says former Mercury head coach Vanessa Nygaard.

When the US negotiated a prisoner swap to secure Griner’s freedom last December, she almost immediately announced her intention to return to the WNBA in 2023, signing a one-year deal with the Mercury. But nobody knew what to expect from Griner, who had spent almost a year under arduous physical and mental conditions.

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But, against all odds, Griner appears to be back to her normal self, on and off the court.

Related: WNBA power lies with two superteams. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing

In her first WNBA game in 579 days, Griner had 18 points, six rebounds and four blocks in a loss to the Los Angeles Sparks. In her first home game a couple of days later, she hit just the seventh three-pointer of her career, yelling “I’m back!” to the crowd of 14,000 cheering fans.

“I appreciate everything a little more,” Griner said about being back in the league. “All the little, small moments that I used to just [think]: ‘Oh, I’m so tired, I don’t want to go to practice today. And, oh, this and that.’ That has changed, honestly. Just appreciating everything because tomorrow’s not guaranteed.”

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Griner is averaging 19.1 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 2.4 blocks on a career-high 61.8% shooting through her first nine games of the 2023 season. She is back to being the Mercury’s best player, dominating in the post over swarms of defenders and blocking everything that comes her way on the other end of the floor. After being an honorary All-Star selection last season, Griner was named an All-Star starter on Sunday.

But what may be even more impressive is the enthusiasm and spirit she has brought to the Mercury and the WNBA, constantly flashing her trademark smile, joking around at press conferences, and uplifting her teammates at every opportunity.

“We were all hoping that she was going to be OK coming back, and that she did not lose her light, and she really didn’t,” says Mercury forward Megan Gustafson, adding that Griner’s presence has transformed the locker room. “I think we were a little bit surprised, because anyone that goes through an experience like that – I mean, I couldn’t even imagine being the same person. But she really is and I’m just so proud of her and just the light that she brings again … It’s really just her light, her positivity that [has] shone through.”

Sandy Brondello, who coached Griner in Phoenix for eight seasons prior to moving on to New York, is also glowing about the player’s return to the WNBA. “It’s like sometimes we sweat having a bad game – she was in prison,” says Brondello. “She had to live in prison for such a long time. So I think she has that joy. Just go out there and play.”

Griner has brought a lot of attention to the WNBA, which was already growing rapidly. Not only is the league averaging almost 1,000 more fans a game in Griner’s return season, but its broadcasts have also hit record viewership numbers – up 49% from last season across ESPN networks.

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“I think that if you look at last season, there was something and someone missing in the WNBA and that was obviously Brittney Griner,” former WNBA MVP and Griner’s one-time UMMC Ekaterinburg teammate Breanna Stewart says. “So the ability to have her back here kind of makes our circle complete, because she is such a force and a presence on and off the court and her ability to kind of be so dominant and aggressive but also such a kind, caring person – everybody’s missed that.”

Griner’s on-court play cannot be separated from her political advocacy off it, especially in a league as socially active as the WNBA. And Griner’s imprisonment has forced the WNBA to reckon with its lackluster treatment of athletes in the past, forcing the league to improve pay and travel standards so that the Griner situation does not repeat itself.

After all, the primary reason that Griner was in Russia in the first place is because her salary at UMMC Ekaterinburg is over $1m compared to the $165,100 she will make this year in the WNBA. In fact, 67 of the league’s 144 players still played internationally last off-season despite Griner’s detainment. Doing so is a financial necessity rather than a choice for most of the world’s best female basketball players.

The incident also highlighted concerns about commercial travel for WNBA players, many of whom are gay, Black women who can be targets of abuse. In fact, Griner has already been harassed this season when a conservative media personality confronted her and her teammates inside a Dallas airport in mid-June.

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In the past, the league has argued that charter flights create an unfair competitive advantage for teams that can afford to pay for them, fining the New York Liberty $500,000 for chartering flights last season. But the WNBA has already made improvements this season, allowing private flights for back-to-back games and for all playoff games. And after the news of Griner’s harassment and the pressure that came from it, the league recently announced that teams are permitted to fly on a public chartering service called JSX for the rest of the season.

It’s a step in the right direction that may not have been possible if not for Griner – a singular force who is as easy to galvanize around because of her on-court performances as she is for her personality. The league still has a long way to go in regards to growing the game and improving standards for its athletes, but Griner’s return has undoubtedly expedited the process.

“It’s a shame that it had to get to rock bottom. Because I feel like waiting for something to happen and then making a change, you don’t know what that something’s gonna be,” Griner said. “We’ve all seen what can happen in this world. And when you play the ‘let’s wait and see game,’ you’re really playing with fire. You’re playing with people’s lives.

“So I’m glad that they finally got it together and are going to allow us to do this. It’s just a shame that it took so damn long.”

Griner's experience highlights the pay disparity between NBA and WNBA players, with many WNBA players, including Griner, forced to play overseas during the off-season to supplement their income.

Title:

Content: games

Why Isn’t Brittney Griner the Biggest Sports Story in the Country?

Photo: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

The second-best player in every sport is a superstar at a level that 99.999 percent of professional athletes — who are already the elite of the elite of the elite — will never come close to achieving. Joel Embiid finished second in NBA MVP voting last year; in baseball (a sport once actively played in this country), it was Vladimir Guerrero Jr.; and in football, it was Tom Brady.

In the WNBA, the Phoenix Mercury’s Brittney Griner earned this distinction last year. She was second in scoring, sixth in rebounds, first in blocks (she’s on track to become the WNBA’s all-time leader in that category), and, according to most advanced metrics, the best offensive player in the league. Her résumé is glittering: She won an NCAA national championship for Baylor in 2012, the same year she captured college basketball’s Player of the Year Award. She then won a WNBA championship in 2014 and was selected as one of the best 25 players in league history in 2021. She has two Olympic gold medals to her name. In the gold-medal game against Japan in Tokyo last summer, she dominated, scoring 30 points to clinch an easy victory. She is the apex of her sport. She is the best of the best. She is a legend.

And for more than a month now, she has been in the custody of the Russian government. Yet until Russian officials released a statement over the weekend saying they had detained Griner after finding hashish oil in her airport bag, it seemed that nobody had noticed. And the reaction since the arrest has been stunningly quiet. One of the greatest athletes in American sports — a gold-medal winner, a superstar, a champion — was arrested in a dangerous and volatile country that has suddenly become a pariah on the world stage. Making equivalences between sports only takes you so far here, but seriously: Imagine if Tom Brady were being held by Russian officials right now.

It is unclear how directly Griner’s plight connects to the catastrophic Russian invasion of Ukraine, and her detention has been overshadowed by the death and destruction wrought by Putin. And part of the muted response is likely due to sensitivity of the negotiations between Russian and American officials. Griner’s wife asked for privacy on Instagram, and it’s clear the precariousness of the situation has led to a certain institutional resistance to even mentioning it: That WNBA.com doesn’t include a single story about one of the organization’s best players being detained speaks to this dynamic. It is also worth remembering, as ESPN’s T.J. Quinn did on Monday, that Griner, whatever the specifics, is likely in some danger; Quinn noted that “as a 6-9 Black gay American woman, she’s a powerful cultural symbol,” and “even in the best case, she’s in for a long legal slog in the Russian criminal justice system. And there’s little the US govt can do about it.”

Another motive the WNBA may have for staying quiet is its own culpability in the situation. The reason Griner was in Russia in the first place — to play off-season basketball, as she has done there for years — is that the league does not pay its superstars the way other sports leagues do. As Tom Ley from Defector pointed out:

The league’s low salaries and minimal efforts towards player support have for years forced even its biggest stars to treat their time in the WNBA as a part-time job. The maximum WNBA salary in 2022 was just over $228,000, and players can make far more than that playing in leagues overseas. In 2015, Diana Taurasi was paid $1.5 million to skip the WNBA season entirely and play for UMMC Ekaterinburg, and Liz Cambage recently revealed that she has made “five to eight times” as much money playing overseas than she has in the WNBA.

Before you say, “Well, the WNBA isn’t as popular in the NBA; of course Griner wouldn’t make as much as LeBron,” remember this: The WNBA has a salary cap, and one that’s particularly suppressive of superstar wages. Griner only made $221,450 for the 2021–2022 season, which is less than a third of the minimum salary in the NHL, but nevertheless classifies her as the fourth-highest-paid player in the WNBA. A new CBA signed two years ago was supposed to address these issues, yet there was Griner, making a mint playing for UMMC Ekaterinburg in Russia. The WNBA’s MVP last year, Connecticut Sun forward Jonquel Jones, plays for the same Russian team. She got out of the country just after the invasion of Ukraine began.

Liz Cambage, a star for the Los Angeles Sparks, has noted that players can make “five to eight times more money” for Russian teams than they do in the WNBA, despite the league being by far the most high-profile women’s basketball league in the world. And restricted cash flow isn’t the only problem for players: Just last week, the league fined the New York Liberty $500,000 for chartering flights to games, claiming this gave the Liberty a “competitive advantage.” (For perspective, almost every team in the collegiate NCAA tournament next week will arrive at their destinations via chartered flight.) Griner didn’t choose to go play in Russia. The league left her no choice.

The precarity of Griner’s position in Russia may give the WNBA a good reason to stay quiet about her case. But perhaps the league would also prefer not to dwell on how she ended up in this situation in the first place.

In any case, it’s not just the WNBA downplaying this story. There was also no mention of Griner on the front pages of ESPN.com, CBS Sports, and SI.com just 48 hours after news of her arrest landed.

This strange reaction comes at a time when the WNBA has surged in popularity. Last year’s finals, featuring Griner’s Mercury, put up the highest ratings ever, a full 49 percent jump from 2020. This is partly because of the league’s activism, which has increased its visibility in a dramatic way. And Griner has been right in the middle of it all, wearing Breonna Taylor’s name on her jersey and speaking out in favor of LGBTQ+ issues since before she even entered the NBA. She was also the first openly gay athlete ever signed to an endorsement deal with Nike. Her teammate Diana Taurasi, perhaps the best player in WNBA history, called Griner “a pioneer.”

And still, relative silence.

As Griner sits in detention in Russia, as a result of a system that is set up to devalue her and other stars at every corner, it would be nice if her plight received attention commensurate with its seriousness.

Why Isn’t Brittney Griner the Biggest Sports Story?

The US government has limited power to intervene in cases like Griner's, but the State Department classified her as wrongfully detained and worked towards her release.

Griner's case also highlights the need for better support systems for athletes who have experienced traumatic events, such as wrongful detention, with many calling for improved resources and support for athletes in similar situations.

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Where does wrongful detention of Brittney Griner go from here?

She will inevitably be labeled a hostage

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Brittney Griner

It seems like years rather than weeks ago that American political prisoner, Trevor Reed, was released from Russia in a prisoner swap. It also seems like years since an American citizen, basketball superstar Brittney Griner, was taken into custody in Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport for allegedly having hashish oil in her possession.

We now know what many of us believed all along – that Brittney Griner was, in the far too late proclamation by the U.S. government, “wrongfully detained.” In diplomacy-speak, wrongfully detained is synonymous with politically detained, which is super close to what will soon enough inevitably happen – calling Brittney Griner a hostage.

Since the beginning of Griner’s detention, I have done dozens of print, radio, TV, and related interviews, and I have a pretty clear view of how and why we got here.

As I wrote around six weeks ago, if we read between the lines of what’s being said in traditional and social media, we can extract three key reasons why the Griner situation isn’t getting the attention that it should be and would be if it was a different athlete.

The first reason is that Brittney Griner is not a terribly high-profile athlete.

This is patently untrue. As I have been commenting from the minute we learned that she was taken into custody by the Russians, Griner was absolutely the highest-profile American athlete that Russia could have taken into custody as they were preparing for their brutal invasion of Ukraine.

The only other high-profile athletes playing in Russia or transiting through at that time were the very few American players in Russia’s top hockey league, the KHL. None are superstars in their sport, as Griner is.

The second argument for why Griner isn’t getting the attention she should be is that she is LGBTQ.

I have argued that this is a reasonably good hypothesis. It just seems that a straight athlete would be getting a lot more attention and public sympathy than Griner has, in part, yet not in full, because of her sexual orientation. That’s a remarkably harsh position to have to take in 2022, yet it’s clear that Griner doesn’t fit the mold of what many Americans see as that all-American athlete. That one’s sexual or gender orientation should drive the American public’s level of sympathy for one of their own top athletes is a shame, but here we are.

The third and most commonly cited reason for Brittany Griner getting less attention than another athlete in a similar situation is that she’s Black.

This argument holds little weight with me. Yes, it makes sense that in comparison to a high-profile white athlete, some people are simply going to care less about a Black athlete. Again, that’s a harsh analysis, yet not unaligned with many things going on in the nation today.

But I think this is a reductive argument that crumbles under the weight of the analogy that I usually use during TV and radio broadcasts about the Griner case – and that is, what if this was Kyrie Irving?

I like to use Kyrie Irving as an analogy because he is a highly controversial Black athlete. Obviously, NBA players don’t have to have second jobs in places like Russia, Turkey, and China, to make ends meet, as the WNBA women do. But just imagine that Kyrie Irving was traveling alone through Moscow airport. If Irving had been taken into custody by the Russians, I can guarantee that this would be front-page news not just in the sports section but on the front page of all significant papers practically every day. That simply hasn’t been the case with Brittney Griner.

Every day, I am asked where this goes from here. With Griner’s May 19 hearing delayed “one month” (though at the time of writing, no date has been set), I remained convinced of two things: that this goes to a worse place than we are now and that it progresses painfully slowly.

As to the first point, to maximize leverage over the United States, it’s likely that Griner will end up somewhere like a Russian labor camp before she ever steps back into the United States. While Russia does not follow the Rule of Law, it would be neither legally nor politically expedient to just hold Griner in a Moscow jail or prison indefinitely. They need to make her situation worse to turn up the urgency of the case for the American government.

But this indeed won’t happen overnight. As I’ve also been saying all along, the next hearing date will also be delayed, OR we will learn through a TASS Russian media release that Griner was tried, found guilty of all charges, and sentenced (see labor camp, above).

As to what each of us can do, my advice remains the same: Keep talking about it. Make this Brittney as viral as Britney Spears was a year ago. Just as Britney Spears’ freedom from her conservatorship was turbo-charged by the #FreeBritney hashtag, let’s #FreeBrittney now.

This is significantly less trite than it sounds. There is no indication that the American government doesn’t want you to forget about Brittney Griner. As former hostage Jason Rezaian discussed on an excellent recent Washington Post podcast, he always “calls BS” on those parties, saying we should keep detentions such as Griner’s out of the public spotlight. He advocates being as loud as we can be on this, which is why I keep doing interviews on this issue as much as possible.

Ultimately, Brittney Griner will be a political prisoner until the United States and Russia can decide, in crass basketball terms, on a fair player trade. On Friday, we learned that the two sides might actually be in discussions now for a trade involving Griner for notorious convicted arms trafficker Viktor Bout, aka the “Merchant of Death.”

Unless this can re-enter and remain in the public spotlight, along with any pressure on the government, Britney Griner will not get the treatment she deserves as one of the greatest basketball players of her generation. That the massive disparity between how NBA and WNBA players are compensated laid the foundation for her to be in this position is the harsh reality these leagues face today. Yet it pales compared to the uncertain reality Griner faces today in a Moscow jail.

A Pulitzer Prize-nominated writer, Aron Solomon, JD, is the chief legal analyst for Today’s Esquire. He has taught entrepreneurship at McGill University and the University of Pennsylvania, and was elected to Fastcase 50, recognizing the top 50 legal innovators in the world.

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Leave no one behind: Building an LGBTQ+ movement for all

A just society is only achievable by investing in dignity of the marginalized

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Despite the expansion of LGBTQ+ civil rights and liberties in D.C., some of which we proudly attribute to GLAA’s stalwart activism for the past 51 years, the most vulnerable members of our community continue to suffer from poverty, homelessness, criminalization, discrimination, social isolation, and preventable death. A jaw-dropping 40% of homeless youth in the U.S. identify as LGBTQ+, LGBTQ+ people experience hunger at twice the rate of straight people, and right here in D.C., the Office of Human Rights reports that employers are more likely to interview a less-qualified cisgender job applicant than a more-qualified transgender applicant.

So for our 2022 candidate ratings, GLAA decided to emphasize that racial and economic justice are LGBTQ+ justice issues. While we recognize the importance of openly LGBTQ+ candidates, we know one’s identity does not indicate where they stand on critical issues. Something many of us have learned the hard way, and something GLAA leadership recognizes not championing sooner as a mistake. What matters most is a candidate’s demonstrated record and vision to support the LGBTQ+ community in its entirety.

It is not enough for candidates to respond only to the needs of those who historically have held the most power in the LGBTQ+ community, particularly white cisgender gay men, in order to tout support of the entire community. The LGBTQ+ community is so many different people, and it is time we push candidates to consider and address us in our entirety. For too long, many LGBTQ+ people have felt rejected and betrayed by our community’s movement priorities, narratives about what our community stands for, and decisions on who is valued and who is selected to represent or lead us. And, while GLAA understands no one politician or organization can erase these community divides, we aim to be intentional in our approach to dismantle that which stands in our entire community’s way toward liberation. That is why, in 2022 we decided to rate candidates on their responses and records of support on issues that impact the most marginalized members of the LGBTQ+ community. None of us is free until all of us are free.

Throughout GLAA’s history we have focused on securing LGBTQ+ rights, which have mostly strengthened the legal protections of people privileged enough to take advantage of them. GLAA decided to focus the Leave No One Behind: 2022 Election Guide and questionnaire on racial and economic justice with an LGBTQ+ lens. We did this to build on our victories, such as successfully advocating for the defunding of the Metropolitan Police Department’s vice squad in the 1970s, and to learn from our mistakes.

It is our belief that a just, peaceful, and vibrant society is only achievable by actively investing in the security and dignity of the poor and marginalized members of all our communities. Our questionnaire intentionally acts in solidarity with D.C. anti-poverty, anti-stigma, and anti-overdose campaigns, which are largely led by trans and queer people of color.

Ratings are on a scale of +/-10 points: yes/no responses on questionnaire (+/-2); substance of response (+/-4); and candidate’s public record (+/-4). Candidates earned partial credit for the yes/no category if they partially agreed with the question. Four issues received more than 91% agreement: increasing the affordable housing stock for the poorest residents, housing people using government funded vouchers, fully funding the Office of Human Rights, and better oversight to improve conditions in the DC Jail.

Three issues received 70-79% candidates’ support, and over 90% when including candidates who issued partial support: Repealing the sub-minimum wage, decriminalization of drug use, and reducing the population of D.C. jail by 30%.

Finally, the least supported policies were decriminalization of consensual sex work and divesting from the Metropolitan Police Department and investing in violence prevention and recidivism prevention programs. Even still, there was remarkable consensus: over 2/3 or 66% of candidates who issued total or partial support.

We are encouraged by the remarkable level of consensus on all of our issues, signaling that D.C. is ready for transformative change that at its core addresses the District’s current poverty, unaffordable housing, community and police-based violence, and overdose crises.

GLAA is excited to see more LGBTQ+ people on ballots. More exciting, however, is the number of politicians with fully realized and integrated LGBTQ+ policies in their platforms. Policies that extend across race and class lines. GLAA firmly believes all people, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity, can be stewards of LGBTQ+ liberation. It is our hope that readers find these ratings not as endorsements, but as a starting point to imagine what is possible if local officials are guided by D.C. residents to use their elected power to create new possibilities that leave no one behind.

This opinion piece was signed by the 2022 Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance board of directors.

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GLAA has lost its way and should close

Their ratings no longer make an iota of difference in an election

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(Blade file photo by Pete Exis)

The Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance (GLAA), once a respected organization, has now lost its way. It once represented all the members of the LGBTQ+ community, clearly no longer the case, as one can tell based on their questionnaire and ratings. They now represent only the far left in the community and are seeking to represent more than LGBTQ+ people as the statement from their current president suggests. That is not the role of GLAA.

One of the questions in this year’s questionnaire that candidates were asked to respond to is: “Do you support divesting from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) to further invest in vital programs, including anti-poverty, violence prevention, crisis intervention, and reentry?” If you didn’t say yes, you lost points. This shows how out of touch they are as the DC Council just voted unanimously, on a first vote, to raise the budget of the MPD. The approved budget also includes increased funding for other vital programs. There’s no indication GLAA ever spoke to Council members on this issue.

Its website lists five officers, all men, with a blurb on each. The one for the president, in addition to listing past and current employment, says, “When he is not organizing, he loves asking people about their Myers Briggs Type (he is ENFP, for the record), doing gay crimes (the basics like drugs and public sex), having Spicy Vanilla sex, dancing to hot beats on the dance floor, practicing vulnerability, plotting revolution against capitalism and other forms of oppression.” He is entitled to his views. But I question how his leading the GLAA represents the broader LGBTQ+ community.

Over the years I’ve had issues with some of what GLAA has done and some of the issues they focused on. But the organization always represented the entire spectrum of the LGBTQ+ community in their questionnaire. Candidates getting a rating from the organization could feel it represented a wide range of opinion in the community. I would hope no candidate tries to pawn the current ratings off as any kind of support from the broader LGBTQ + community.

In the past you always knew their officers, including Rick Rosendall, Bob Summersgill and Jeff Coudriet among others, were involved with D.C. government and knew the issues in-depth. They knew the candidates. Responding to their questionnaire over the years was always interesting. Rick often was the one who spent hours drafting the questions. I always wondered why it was never enough to say yes you agree with their premise. Instead, you had to say it in hundreds, even thousands, of words to earn points. I know as I have filled out questionnaires for many candidates.

Today their website lists nine project areas, none with anything accomplished since 2016. The blog has nothing on any recent budget issues or legislation pertaining to the LGBTQ+ community, only information about the questionnaire. They claim to lobby the Council and monitor government agencies, but there is no indication of any meetings or testimony since 2017.

We can thank GLAA for the fact that today no politician can win office in D.C. without being supportive of the LGBTQ community. However, today their ratings no longer make an iota of difference in an election. Since this is now the only thing they do it’s time to close up shop. We have moved past the time in D.C. when a small number of people can sit in a room rating candidates they don’t know, on issues that don’t represent the community they are supposed to be representing.

So personally, I say thank you to all the people who worked hard over many years for GLAA to help move the LGBTQ community forward. I recognize there is much work still to be done but GLAA is not the organization to do it. We must work to ensure economic and civil justice for all members of our community; health equity for transgender persons; senior housing for our community; and employment opportunities for all, among other issues. But there are other LGBTQ organizations, and community organizations, doing these things better and the few members GLAA might still have should be directed to those other organizations.

If as their website claims they are planning an anniversary celebration, it should be one to honor all the people who in the past 50 years of the organization, worked hard and were successful in making my life and the lives of so many LGBTQ people in the District of Columbia and around the nation better. That would be an exciting way to say goodbye and celebrate the organization whose time it is to close.

Peter Rosenstein is a longtime LGBTQ rights and Democratic Party activist. He writes regularly for the Blade.

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An unlikely revolution is happening at Christian universities

More than half have enacted LGBTQ non-discrimination policies

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Recent headlines have been filled with messages of doom and gloom for LGBTQ people. From bans on transgender women competing in sports to “don’t say gay” laws, it seems evident that conservative Republicans are freshly committed to rolling back the rights of LGBTQ people across the United States.

Yet, despite such recent setbacks, a student-led movement for LGBTQ inclusion is gaining ground in what would seem to be one of the unlikeliest settings — Christian colleges and universities.

Over the past few years, I’ve collected extensive data on U.S. Christian colleges and universities’ policies toward LGBTQ students. In one study, I found that 55% of all Christian colleges and universities in the United States have nondiscrimination policies inclusive of sexual orientation. In another recent study, I found that nearly half of all Christian colleges and universities are home to officially recognized LGBTQ student groups.

Even some of the most conservative Christian colleges and universities have changed their approach to LGBTQ students. When analyzing data collected in 2013, I found that nearly one-third of all Christian colleges and universities had adopted bans on so-called “homosexual acts” or “homosexual behavior” in their student handbooks. Yet, when reviewing Christian colleges and universities’ handbooks again over the past year, I found that under one-fourth of Christian colleges and universities had such discriminatory bans.

Why are some Christian colleges and universities becoming more accommodating—and even welcoming—to LGBTQ students?

There are several major reasons, but one of the most important is that several Christian denominations already embrace their LGBTQ members. Denominations such as the Episcopal Church, United Church of Christ, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Disciples of Christ, and Presbyterian Church USA, for example, allow ministers to officiate same-sex weddings. An increasing number of nondenominational churches also affirm LGBTQ people. Those Christian colleges and universities that are already associated with affirming denominations are certainly among the most likely to affirm their LGBTQ students.

Another reason that many Christian colleges and universities are becoming welcoming toward LGBTQ students is that they do not necessarily believe their primary mission is to hold all students to the specific religious tenets of their associated denomination. Rather, they see their primary mission as providing an important service (education) to the broader society. Just as Christian hospitals do not refuse to provide medical treatment to people who are not members of their associated denominations, many Christian colleges and universities have chosen not to deny people an education simply because certain people are not members of their associated denominations.

A rising number of Christian colleges and universities also recognize the harms that occur when people are discriminated against on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. A recent survey by Religious Exemption Accountability Project shows that 12% of all Christian college and university students self-identify as LGBTQ. Because studies show that LGBTQ people in non-affirming Christian colleges and universities report greater rates of depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation, many Christian schools understand they would be harming a significant number of their students if they continued to discriminate against LGBTQ people.

And still other schools are simply concerned with their bottom lines. The United States is projected to go over a “demographic cliff” in 2025, at which time the number of 18-year-olds nationwide will drop dramatically. Some reports say that one-third of all private colleges and universities nationwide will face major financial crises over the next decade, causing them to close or pursue mergers. Many Christian colleges and universities recognize that adopting discriminatory policies toward LGBTQ students would alienate significant portions of their potential student body.

Certainly, despite these encouraging trends, those who are committed to LGBTQ rights should not be complacent. Many schools have still been slow to extend nondiscrimination protections and housing accommodations to trans students. And the Religious Exemption Accountability Project estimates that as many as 100,000 LGBTQ students are currently enrolled at Christian colleges and universities that still refuse to affirm the dignity and rights of LGBTQ people. That organization recently filed a class-action lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Education, challenging the federal government’s policy of providing loans even to Christian colleges and universities that otherwise violate Title IX protections for LGBTQ students.

It is likely the case that some Christian colleges and universities will not change their policies toward LGBTQ rights unless they are legally required to do so. Still, at Christian colleges and universities across the United States, LGBTQ students are not waiting around. LGBTQ students are actively mobilizing to bring about inclusive policies at their schools, and at a surprising number of schools, they are succeeding.

Jonathan S. Coley is Assistant Professor of Sociology at Oklahoma State University and a Public Fellow at the Public Religion Research Institute.

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The WNBA has improved pay and travel standards for players since Griner's detention, but more work needs to be done to provide better support for athletes who have experienced traumatic events.

Griner's return to the WNBA after her release increased viewership and attendance, with many fans showing support for the athlete who had been through a traumatic experience.

The #WeAreBG movement and other initiatives helped Griner cope with her detention, and she has expressed gratitude for the support she received during that time.

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Brittney Griner speaks to fans from her detention in Russian prison

On her 32nd birthday, Griner releases a statement to inform the #WeAreBG movement that their efforts are helping her cope.

It’s been tough to follow the story of Brittney Griner’s continued detention in Russia without feeling a sense of helplessness and wondering what can be done to help her. There have been few if any glimmers of hope in her situation — Russian prisons don’t really do hope.

But Griner just released a statement to her fans for the first time since she was arrested for possessing a vape pen with hashish oil back in February. And based on what she said, everyone’s efforts on her behalf are being heard and it is helping her make it through an otherwise bleak situation.

As CNN’s Ana Cabrera reported on Twitter, Griner’s message through her lawyer read: “Thank you everyone for fighting so hard to get me home. All the support and love are definitely helping me.”

Griner’s statement was sent out on her 32nd birthday on Tuesday. Throughout the day, the support and love she referenced was echoed throughout the sports world, with several prominent figures using their platform to amplify the #WeAreBG cause.

Billie Jean King reminded all of her followers that Griner has spent eight months living under unlawful detention.

The WNBA vowed to be front and center in continuing the fight to help secure her release and left it abundantly clear that there is a void in their league without her presence.

During the Golden State Warriors’ championship ring ceremony on their opening night, Stephen Curry told a capacity crowd that, “We want to continue to let her name be known…it’s been 243 days since she’s been wrongfully incarcerated in Russia. We hope that she comes home soon and everybody’s doing their part to get her home.”

Curry’s words were amplified by Christina Kahrl.

Finally, the Phoenix Mercury commemorated Griner’s birthday by showing everyone that although she’s being used as a pawn in a Kafkaesque nightmare, it’s important to remember all of her other qualities so that we never lose sight of her as a human being.

Let’s all keep fighting to ensure that we see that smile and that joy set free again very soon.

Billie Jean King and Stephen Curry were among the many athletes who advocated for Griner's release, highlighting the need for support and resources for athletes who have experienced traumatic events.

The US government's efforts to free Griner, including the prisoner swap, demonstrate the importance of government support for athletes who have been wrongfully detained.

Griner's adjustment to life back at home after her release has been supported by her team, the Phoenix Mercury, and the WNBA, which has provided resources and support to help her readjust to life after her traumatic experience.

The support systems and resources in place to help athletes like Griner who have experienced traumatic events, such as wrongful detention, include the WNBA's improved pay and travel standards, as well as initiatives like the #WeAreBG movement.

However, more work needs to be done to provide better support for athletes in similar situations, including improved resources and support for athletes who have experienced traumatic events.

Griner's experience in the Russian penitentiary system was marked by harsh conditions, including hard labor and limited medical treatment.

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Content: Former prisoner in Russian punishment colony reveals to CNN what American Grainer can expect after 9 years in prison
The world.
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Nadezhda Tolokonikova, from the group "Female Riot", spent nearly two years in a penal colony after demonstrating against Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Tolokonikova explained what American basketball player Britney Grainer could expect after she was sentenced to nine years in prison for drug trafficking and shared the harsh conditions that occur in the Russian penal colonies.
Tolokonikova said she believed it would be “particularly difficult for Britney because she doesn ’ t know Russian, she can ’ t learn the law she has to abide by in the penal colony, and she can ’ t protect herself. ”
“The worst thing about a penal colony is watching the death of others around you and not being able to do anything.
People die from hard physical work and not being able to get the medical treatment they need.
But you're just another prisoner.
You can't do anything about it.
You just have to witness this cruelty and know that something like this can happen to you as well. ”
Tolokonikova revealed the motivation that kept her alive, saying: "The most important thing now is to minimize the trauma that she will endure during this time period.
Thinking about your loved ones who are waiting for you and who need you, don ’ t give up on your life.
Things like finding a beautiful flower and thinking that this beautiful flower was able to grow in these terrible and terrifying conditions in this nightmarish world prompted me to stay alive and not lose faith that there would be life outside the punitive colony. ”
Tolokonikova concluded: “I hope Britney will come home as soon as possible and experience as little trauma as possible in her condition.
I ’ m really looking forward to reuniting her with her family. ”

She was held in a remote Russian penal colony, where she was imprisoned for possessing vape cartridges with cannabis oil.

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Content: Lawyer: Greener sent to Russian exile to serve his sentence
WASHINGTON (AFP) - A lawyer for U.S. women's professional basketball player Brittney Griner said today that Griner has been sent to a remote Russian penal colony to serve his sentence.
Her situation has sparked outrage in the United States.
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Greiner, 32, was arrested at a Moscow airport in February and sentenced to nine years in prison in August for entering Russia with an e-cigarette case containing a small amount of cannabis oil.
This comes at a time when US-Russian relations are highly strained by Russia ’ s military presence in Ukraine.
"Britney began serving her sentence at IK-2 in Mordovia," Greiner's lawyers Maria Blagovolina and Alexander Boykov said in a statement.
The lawyers said that when they visited this week, Greiner was in good condition, trying to stay strong and adapt to the new environment, and they would not provide further comment "given that this is a very difficult period for her."
U.S. President Joe Biden said last week he wanted Russian President Vladimir Putin to negotiate "more seriously" the release of Greenner.
"My aim was to get her home, and we've had multiple discussions so far," Biden said at the time.
The White House said that CIA Director William Burns and Russian Foreign Intelligence Director Sergei Naryshkin had a rare face-to-face meeting in Ankara, Turkey, on Thursday to discuss the threat of nuclear weapons in Ukraine and American citizens imprisoned by Russia.

Griner's case sparked outrage in the United States, with many calling for her release, including the WNBA and other athletes.

The US government offered to release Viktor Bout in exchange for Griner and another American prisoner, Paul Whelan.

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Court Upholds Conviction of Brittney Griner as WNBA Star Faces Years of Prison Time in Russia

Brittney Griner

A court in Russia rejected on Tuesday incarcerated WBA star Brittney Griner’s appeal of her 9-year prison sentence for carrying a small amount of hashish oil.

The court did rule to recalculate Griner’s prison sentence based on her pre-trial detention, according to The Associated Press. For every one day in custody before trial, she will get credited for 1.5 days in prison. That reportedly means she will spend about eight years in prison.

Griner, 32, is currently at a penal colony outside of Moscow, according to the AP.

She was arrested at Sheremetyevo Airport in Moscow on Feb. 17. She reportedly had less than a gram of cannabis oil inside vape canisters in her luggage. Griner, a center for the WBA’s Phoenix Mercury, had been returning to Russia, where she played in the offseason.

She reportedly testified that she did have the canisters in her luggage, but she said she did not mean to bring them. She packed them by accident, in a rush, Griner said.

The defense, which said Griner was prescribed the hashish oil to treat pain, had called the 9-year sentence excessive, adding that people in similar cases received an average of five years behind bars. A third of the defendants got parole, the defense argued.

Critics of the Russian regime say Moscow is only using Griner as a bargaining chip in international relations. She was arrested just days before the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

“We are aware of the news out of Russia that Brittney Griner will continue to be wrongfully detained under intolerable circumstances after having to undergo another sham judicial proceeding today,” National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said in a statement released through the White House. “President Biden has been very clear that Brittney should be released immediately. In recent weeks, the Biden-Harris Administration has continued to engage with Russia through every available channel and make every effort to bring home Brittney as well as to support and advocate for other Americans detained in Russia, including fellow wrongful detainee Paul Whelan. The President has demonstrated that he is willing to go to extraordinary lengths and make tough decisions to bring Americans home, as his Administration has done successfully from countries around the world. The Administration remains in regular touch with representatives of the families, and we continue to admire their courage in the face of these unimaginable circumstances.”

The Biden administration has offered to release convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout in exchange for the releases of both Griner and Paul Whelan, a former U.S. Marine convicted in an espionage case. The U.S. State Department spokesman said Whelan was “wrongfully detained,” according to CNN.

“There is such a human side to BG that a lot of people on the outside don’t know,” former USA Basketball head coach Dawn Staley told ESPN in a recent profile for Griner’s Oct. 18 birthday. “I wish that a lot of people were able to see that and could express themselves with the honesty that Brittney does.”

Staley coached Griner as part of the gold medal-winning US teams in the 2018 FIBA World Cup and the 2020 Summer Olympics.

Brianna Turner, a teammate on the Mercury, recalled joining teammates in a visit to Griner and Griner’s wife Cherelle Griner’s home.

“We played with their dogs, watched TV and reminisced more about our season,” she told ESPN. “BG nonchalantly had her most recent Olympic gold medal laying out on her coffee table, and I made sure to take a selfie with it as if I had just won gold and was standing on a podium. But that’s just the type of person BG is: humble and welcoming to those around her. I hold on so hard to those memories of that evening. It’s wild to think that I last saw her in person a year ago; her birthday is obviously so different this time around. I was able to send her a letter, though, and hopefully she will receive it on birthday. So many people that don’t personally know BG have so many various opinions about her. But I can honestly say BG is probably the warmest person I know. Her energy is infectious, and she is the first person willing to help someone in need.”

[Image via EVGENIA NOVOZHENINA/POOL/AFP]

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Griner's release was a result of US government efforts, and she was finally able to return home after her ordeal in the Russian prison system.

Title:

Content: When she finally returned home following a hellish prison stint in Russia, Brittney Griner’s trademark dreadlocks were gone. She looked like a different person without it, and more than a few folks were curious about the timing of her decision to cut it.

As it turns out, it had a lot to do with Griner’s survival instincts while inside the Russian penitentiary. The WNBA star did not cut her hair just because she wanted a new look, but apparently, the decision was made out of necessity.

Brittney’s Russian attorney, Maria Blagovolina, revealed that according to Griner herself, she cut out her dreads two weeks prior to her release because she feared that they would freeze during the long Russian winter:

“It’s very cold in there and every time she washed her hair she got cold and would get a chill,” Blagovolina said, via T.J. Quin of ESPN. “She should have waited until New Year’s Day.”

That’s actually very telling of Griner’s mindset in her final few weeks in prison. She did not know that her prison term was coming to an end and she was already preparing for the worst. This just goes to show how difficult life was for the Phoenix Mercury center inside the Russian penal colony. It’s also as if she had abandoned all hope that she was going to get out soon.

Fortunately, the U.S. government delivered on its promise to get Brittney Griner back before the New Year. It was a long and difficult process, no doubt, but the most important thing right now is that Brittney is finally home.

Griner's story highlights the challenges faced by American citizens detained abroad, particularly in countries with tense diplomatic relationships with the US.

Title:

Content: Basketball: Brittney Griner′s Russian detention highlights WNBA′s growing problem | Sports | German football and major international sports news | DW | 05.05.2022

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Basketball: Brittney Griner's Russian detention highlights WNBA's growing problem

The WNBA is seen as the world's best women's basketball league. However, the arrest of one of its biggest stars has highlighted problems involving time and money that are forcing players to go abroad in the off-season.

Brittney Griner is being held on drug charges in a Russian prison at present

The 2022 season of the US Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) starts this week with one of its biggest stars, Brittney Griner, still being held in a Russian jail.

The superstar center was arrested for being in possession of vape cartridges that contained cannabis oil during a flight out of Moscow in February. Though legal in the US, the substance is considered illegal in Russia.

The US State Department has spoken out against Griner's detention, a situation complicated by Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine. In doing so they promised to "provide appropriate support" ahead of her next court date on May 19.

Griner, 31, has won the WNBA title and Most Valuable Player award with the Phoenix Mercury; two Olympic gold medals and two FIBA Basketball World Cups with USA Basketball Women's National Team.

Yet under the WNBA's salary cap, she earns a fraction of the eyewatering multi-million-dollar deals the likes of Stephen Curry and LeBron James command in the NBA. As a result Griner has spent time in Russia where she has racked up four EuroLeague titles with UMMC Ekaterinburg and a healthy pay cheque.

Uncapped salaries?

Since being founded in 1996, the WNBA has not had the audience to command premium rights deals from television networks. The result is that players, most of whom don't hold Griner's superstar status, are now being forced to move abroad in the off-season to financially set themselves up for the future.

The WNBA season runs from May to September/October with the off-season spent either resting, working in US media or going to play in countries like Australia, China, France and Russia.

While the salary cap in the WNBA sees the highest earners command a salary of $228,094 (€215,067) per season, playing abroad is more lucrative because players can negotiate higher wages.

In Russia, many of the stars can earn upwards of three times the salary, with Griner reportedly earning up to a million dollars during her stints with UMMC Ekaterinburg.

This is all made possible by Russian oligarch owners, like Andrei Kozitsyn and Iskander Makhmudov, who enable teams to provide players with lavish lifestyles, cash gifts and travel accomodations. In contrast, the WNBA recently fined the New York Liberty for creating an unfair advantage after the club chartered private flights for its team.

Russian clubs have also proven willing to go the extra mile as far back as 2015 when Diana Taurasi, the 2009 WNBA MVP, was paid $1.5 million (€1.42 million) by Griner's Russian employers in Ekaterinburg to skip the WNBA season entirely. Taurasi admitted it was a deal that her agent advised "would be financially irresponsible" to pass up.

The inevitable overseas lure

When Evelyn Akhator was selected third overall pick in the WNBA Draft in 2017 by the Dallas Wings, she knew that it was just one step in what she hopes will be a long-lasting professional career.

Evelyn Akhator say that Russia is 'where the real money is' for women basketball players

"As soon as I signed with an agent, they started to look for jobs overseas for me. Unless I told them otherwise, I knew I was going to play overseas," Akhator told DW. "That is where the real money is."

Akhator spent one season with the Wings before leaving to join Dynamo Novosibirsk in Russia where she played against Griner. She told DW of a lonely experience without family, friends or people who looked like her in an environment where being targeted by racist remarks was common on the streets.

The silver lining was that she was able to earn more than double what her rookie contract offered in the WNBA and, since then, she has competed in Turkey, Spain and is currently playing in France with the Flammes Carolo.

By comparison, the season in France is longer than the WNBA's, meaning she can stay active and negotiate a better salary. For her and many others, opportunites like this offer the chance to save up for a future after basketball.

Plugging the overseas loophole

The WNBA's 2020 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) with the WNBA Players Association wants to make it more difficult for players to go overseas during the off-season.

WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert wants players to "prioritize" the league instead of playing abroad, The main reason being that leagues in Europe usually end in April, which affects players when they report back for pre-season training camps that same month. DW asked the WNBA and the Players' Association for comment on potential future changes to the season schedule, but received no response.

Free Brittney: Griner's detention could make other players rethink Russian money

From 2023, those who report late to camp will forfeit 1% of their base salary, while players who fail to arrive before the opening night will forfeit their season's pay. Those measures will get stronger in 2024, when players who fail to arrive before the first day of training will forgo being a part of the team.

Those harsher measures are offset by promises of higher salaries as the WNBA hopes to raise the salary cap for their top players to $500,000 (€471,445) thanks to increased marketing opportunities.

But with the war in Ukraine and the sanctions on Russia ongoing, the appetite for going overseas is expected to reduce. The WNBA announced that Griner's initials and jersey number (42) will be featured along the sideline of all 12 WNBA courts, but as her family and friends await her return from Russia, her arrest is forcing players to rethink. Is the money worth it?

In the future, safety overseas will be key when players ask their agents for work, but Akhator doesn't believe that Griner's arrest would deter WNBA players entirely. "I think it is better for players to have a longer season and get paid six, seven-figure [salaries], I think that would really help."

Edited by: James Thorogood

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The US government considered Brittney Griner's arrest in Russia as unjust and worked to secure her release, with the Biden administration classifying her as "wrongfully detained".

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U.S. basketball star detained in Russia for months, Blinken speaks to family
2022 / 6 / 23 15: 49
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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner has been detained in Russia for months, and a coalition of human rights groups today urged President Joe Biden and Russia to "reach an agreement" to secure her release, and Secretary of State Colin Blinken also spoke to Griner's wife today.
WNBA player Griner, who won two Olympic gold medals for the United States, was detained at a Moscow airport on February 17 after being charged with carrying several e-cigarette boxes containing cannabis oil in his luggage. The maximum sentence is 10 years in prison.
A Russian court last week extended her pre-trial detention to July 2.
Senior State Department officials said Antony Blinken spoke with Greiner ’ s same-sex wife, Cherelle Griner, this evening, but did not disclose details.
The State Department said yesterday that Mr. Greiner had not been able to speak to his wife as scheduled over the weekend because of logistical problems exacerbated by Russia ’ s restrictions on the U.S. Embassy ’ s operations in Moscow.
Forty advocacy groups, including the National Organization for Women, the Human Rights Campaign and the Gay and Lesbian Anti-Defamation League (GLAAD), have praised the Biden administration ’ s efforts, including in May when it said the 31-year-old Greiner had been “wrongly detained ” and assigned diplomats to handle his release.
But they say more needs to be done.
Reuters reviewed the groups ’ letters to Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, which read: “The U.S. government categorizes Britney as wrongfully detained and acknowledges that she is essentially a political pawn. ”
“While these are vital measures, we now urge you to reach an agreement so that Britney can return to the United States safely and immediately. ”
National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson told Reuters the government was looking at ways to secure Greiner ’ s release.
"President Biden has made it clear that it is necessary to see all U.S. nationals held as hostages or wrongfully detained abroad released, including Greiner," Watson said in an email.
“The United States Government continues to make vigorous efforts to try to bring her back using all available methods. ” (Translator: Lee Pei-shan / Authored by: Chan Cheng-yi) 1110623
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The US government found that Russia had illegally detained Brittney Griner, and the State Department led an interagency task force to secure her release.

Title:

Content: The U.S. government said WNBA star Britney Greiner was "unjustly arrested" by Russia in February.
The United States government believes that WNBA star Britney Grenier was unjustly arrested by Russia.
According to ESPN.
Greiner was accused of carrying e-cigarette cartridges containing cannabis oil concentrated in marijuana in her luggage in February and has not been allowed to leave Russia since then.
Rousse claims that Greiner is under investigation on charges of “large-scale drug trafficking – a crime for which in Russia you can get up to 10 years in prison. ”
The reason for the change of the case by the US government is not reported.
“The State Department found that the Russian Federation illegally detained a US citizen Britney Greiner.
In making this decision, the President ’ s Special Representative for Hostage Affairs, Roger Carstens, will lead the interagency task force to secure the release of Britney Greiner, ” a State Department spokesperson told ESPN.
.
That Grainer is being unjustly detained is a big step in the right direction towards bringing her home.
This means that the US government will immediately begin negotiations on his return to America.
Initially, the U.S. government had to wait for the next hearing in Russia on May 19 to begin negotiations with a foreign government for her release.
To show support for one of the league ’ s biggest stars, the WNBA announced on Tuesday that a Griner 42 floor-standing sticker will be placed in every stadium this season.
“With the start of the 2022 season, we ’ re keeping Britney at the forefront of what we ’ re doing in basketball and in society, ” WBA Commissioner Katie Engelbert said in a statement.
“We continue to work on bringing Britney home and appreciate the support provided by the BG community and her family during this very difficult time. ”
NHL players will miss the Olympics in Beijing

Secretary Blinken planned to discuss Griner's release with Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov, and the US made a substantial proposal for her release.

Title:

Content: NewsNational News

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US submits offer to Russia for release of Americans Whelan, Griner

Posted at 2:49 PM, Jul 27, 2022
and last updated 2022-07-27 14:52:33-04

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday that he plans to talk to his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov about the release of Americans Paul Whelan and Brittney Griner.

Blinken said the US has made a "substantial proposal" in hopes of bringing home the two Americans detained in Russia.

Griner, a WNBA all-star, was in court on Wednesday as her drug trial continued. She has remained detained in Russian custody since February.

Whelan has been held by Russia since 2018 and was sentenced in 2020 to 16 years for spying.

Blinken said his upcoming conversation with Lavrov will mark the first time since the start of the war that he has talked to the Russian foreign minister.

The US considers Whelan and Griner “wrongfully detained” and that they “must be allowed to come home.”

“We put a substantial proposal on the table weeks ago to facilitate their release,” Blinken said. “Our governments have communicated repeatedly and directly on that proposal and I will use that conversation to follow up personally and I hope move us toward a resolution.”

The Biden administration committed to negotiating Griner's release, with President Biden wanting all US nationals held abroad to be released.

The US government assigned diplomats to handle Griner's release and the National Security Council made efforts to bring her back.

The US government changed its approach to secure Griner's release, with the State Department leading the efforts.

The US submitted an offer to Russia for Griner's release, and Secretary Blinken planned to follow up on the proposal with Lavrov personally.

The US government considered Griner's release a priority, and Bill Richardson, a former Governor, traveled to Moscow to discuss Griner's release.

Title:

Content: NewsNational News

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Former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson to travel to Moscow for talks on freeing Brittney Griner: Source

Posted at 6:53 AM, Jul 10, 2022
and last updated 2022-07-10 09:53:42-04

Former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson is planning to travel to Russia in the near future for talks aimed at finding a deal to free the detained WNBA star Brittney Griner, a source with knowledge of the proposed trip told ABC News.

Richardson, who also served as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and energy secretary in the Clinton administration, played a role in achieving a prisoner exchange in April that saw Russia release former U.S. Marine Trevor Reed after nearly two and a half years in captivity.

He is expected to go to Moscow in the next couple of weeks, according to the source, who requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.

Russia has repeatedly suggested it's interested in trading Griner for Russians held in U.S. prisons. The new trip appears aimed at seeing if a similar deal to the one that freed Reed could be produced for Griner.

Richardson’s office did not confirm the potential visit, telling ABC News “we are unable to comment on this at the moment.”

“What I can say (and is publicly known) is both the Whelan and Griner families have asked us to help with the release of their loved ones,” Mickey Bergman, executive director at the Richardson Center for Global Engagement, told ABC News in an email.

Richardson is currently representing the Griner family as well as the family of Paul Whelan, the other former Marine held by Russia for three and a half years.

Griner, a two-time Olympic gold medalist in basketball, has been in detention in Russia since mid-February after she was stopped at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport and accused by Russian authorities of having vape cartridges containing hashish oil in her luggage.

This week, Griner told a Moscow court she would like to plead guilty to the charges, saying she had brought the vape cartridges into Russia unintentionally, explaining she had not meant to leave them in her bag.

The Biden administration has classified Griner as “wrongfully detained” and American officials believe Russia seized her, like Whelan and Reed, to use as bargaining chips with the U.S.

Richardson’s possible trip comes amid speculation whether the U.S. would be willing to make another prisoner swap to free Griner. The Biden administration has said it is committed to negotiating with Russia for Griner’s release but it has refused to comment on whether it is considering any trade.

Asked to comment on Richardson's potential visit, the White House National Security Council told ABC it was in contact with Richardson and valued his efforts, but declined to say more.

“NSC leadership are in touch with Bill Richardson. We appreciate his commitment to getting Americans home and are pursuing the release of Brittney and Paul through government channels,” NSC spokesperson Adrienne Watson said in a statement.

Griner’s wife, Cherelle Griner, said she had requested Richardson's team's help and would support a trip if it took place.

“We asked the Richardson Center to help and I’m encouraged that he might be going,” Cherelle Griner said in a statement to ABC through Griner’s agent Lindsay Colas.

Richardson has a long history of working to free Americans wrongfully detained overseas. Through his nonprofit, the Richardson Center, he has helped return U.S. citizens imprisoned in Iran and North Korea among others.

His team represented Trevor Reed’s family and spent months engaged in shuttle diplomacy trying to outline a possible deal to free him.

Richardson even flew to Moscow on the eve of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in a last ditch effort to persuade Russia to make a trade.

Richardson does not represent the White House. In Reed’s case, he approached Russia’s government and the Biden administration separately to try to feel out what both sides might accept as any possible deal. He then relayed what he had heard back to both sides.

In the end, the prisoner trade the White House made for Reed was the same one Richardson had been advocating for: releasing Konstantin Yaroshenko, a Russian pilot serving a U.S. prison sentence for drug smuggling.

Richardson has since encouraged the Biden administration to consider making similar deals for Griner and Paul Whelan.

Following Griner’s court appearance on Thursday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said it was "going to do everything that we can to bring home Brittney Griner safely, and to also make sure that we bring Paul Whelan back home as well." Jean-Pierre said Griner's guilty plea would have "no impact" on the efforts to negotiate her release.

Russian state media and officials have repeatedly floated trading Griner or Whelan for Viktor Bout, the Russian arms dealer, dubbed “the Merchant of Death” in the media and who is currently serving a 25 year sentence on narco-terrorism charges.

Trevor Reed and his family have called on the Biden administration to exchange Bout if it would free Whelan and Griner.

Speaking to ABC News this week, Reed urged President Joe Biden to do more.

"I hope that President Biden and his administration will do everything possible to get both, you know, Brittney and Paul out of Russia, and that they will do that immediately," he told ABC News. "Because every day that, you know, they sit here and wait to make a decision is one more day that, you know, Paul and Brittney are suffering."

Richardson represented Griner's family and helped free Trevor Reed through a prisoner exchange, and the US sought to exchange Viktor Bout for Griner and Paul Whelan.

The US government urged Russia to release Brittney Griner through a prisoner exchange, and Secretary Blinken spoke with Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov about Griner's release.

Title:

Content: The United States insists that Russia agree on an exchange of prisoners for the release of Britney Grenier
Foreign Minister Anthony Blinken spoke by phone with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Friday at the highest known level of communication between the two sides since Russia ’ s invasion of Ukraine, as Blinken urged Russia to accept the deal to secure the release of American prisoners Britney Grenier.
Paul Whelan.
Russian officials gave no public hint as to whether Blinken had made any progress, instead issuing a chilling statement in which they subsequently called on the United States to pursue American freedom through “quiet diplomacy without revealing speculative information. ”
In recent days, U.S. officials have announced their efforts to bring back Greener, a WNBA star, and Whelan, the chief executive of corporate security, whose case has garnered nationwide attention.
Blinken did not give details of Lavrov ’ s response to what he had previously called Russia ’ s “substantial offer ” to release Whelan and Greiner.
Blinken publicly requested communication and reported on Russia ’ s offer.
People familiar with the show say the U.S. wants to trade Whelan and Greiner for convicted Russian arms dealer Victor Bout.
Blinken described the call as a "frank, direct conversation" that focused on detained Americans.
“I called on Foreign Minister Lavrov to advance this proposal, ” he said.
“I can ’ t give you an estimate of whether it ’ s more or less likely. ”
Watch | America Reveals Steps to Return Jailed Basketball Player:
White House offers Russia a deal to free basketball star Britney Grenier
The Biden administration says it has made a "substantial offer" to repatriate two American detainees from Russia, including basketball star Britney Grenier.
Blinken also said he insisted on the importance of Russia following the deal allowing Ukrainian grain shipments to leave the Black Sea, and warned him of the consequences if Moscow pursued its alleged plans to annex parts of eastern and southern Ukraine.
Canada stunned Russia with overtime to reach the semi-finals of the World Hockey League
Blinkin said he told Lavrov that the world would “never recognize ” any annexation of Ukrainian territory, which he said would“ lead to significant additional costs for Russia. ”
He declined to comment on how Lavrov reacted to his reports.
I do not want to describe any of Foreign Minister Lavrov ’ s answers.
In a subsequent statement, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that Lavrov “strongly suggested ” that Blinkin“ return to a professional dialogue in the style of quiet diplomacy ” on any attempts to release American detainees.
Lavrov also reiterated Russia ’ s promises to continue fighting until it achieves its goals in Ukraine, renewed complaints that U.S. and NATO support for Ukraine is prolonging the conflict, and accused the United States of not yet complying with its grain supply agreements from Ukraine.
This was reported in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Tensions are escalating
Blinken ’ s comments earlier this week were the first time the U.S. government has publicly made public any specific actions it has taken to release Greiner.
Two-time Olympic champion and WNBA player Phoenix Mercury was arrested at a Moscow airport in mid-February when inspectors found vape cartridges with cannabis oil in her luggage.
Greiner ’ s arrest came at a time of heightened tensions between Moscow and Washington before Russia sent troops into Ukraine on February 24.
Five months after Griner ’ s arrest, he drew sharp criticism from his colleagues and supporters in the United States.
A drug trial began in a Moscow court this month, and on Wednesday she revealed she didn ’ t know how the bullets ended up in her bag, but that she had a doctor ’ s recommendation to use cannabis to treat work-related pain.
The 31-year-old pleaded guilty but said she had no criminal intent to bring bullets to Russia and was hastily packed for her return to the Russian basketball league at the end of the WNBA season.
She faces up to 10 years in prison if found guilty of drug trafficking.
Ryan Bader "Noble Fighter" Not Interested in Retirement Plus Will Francis Ngannu Fight in the UFC Again?
The Biden administration has faced political pressure to release Greiner and other Americans whom the US has declared “unjustly detained ” — a decision that Russian officials have categorically rejected.
Whelan, head of corporate security from Michigan, was sentenced to 16 years in prison for espionage in 2020.
He and his family insisted on their innocence.
The United States Government has condemned these allegations as false.
For years, Russia has shown interest in freeing Russian arms dealer Botha, who was once nicknamed the “Merchant of Death. ”
In 2012, he was sentenced to 25 years in prison for conspiring to illegally sell millions of dollars worth of weapons.

The US offered to trade Victor Bout for Griner and Paul Whelan, and the US government considered Whelan and Griner "unjustly detained".

Griner's wife met with President Biden at the White House, and the Biden administration worked to release Griner from Russian prison.

Title:

Content: X

Brittney Griner's Wife Cherelle Meets with President Biden at White House

Erin WalshSeptember 16, 2022

Christian Petersen/Getty Images

Brittney Griner's wife, Cherelle Griner, met with President Joe Biden and national security adviser Jake Sullivan at the White House on Friday to reassure her that the administration is continuing to work on the release of the detained WNBA star from a Russian prison.

"We're going to continue to do everything that we can, working tirelessly every day, to make sure that we get them home," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters, per ESPN.

Griner has been detained in Russia for 211 days. She was arrested at a Moscow airport on Feb. 17 for carrying vape cartridges containing cannabis oil in her luggage.

Griner pleaded guilty to drug possession charges on July 7 and said in court that she had the cannabis oil in her luggage for medicinal use, while her lawyer told the court Griner had a doctor's letter for its use. Griner said "she had no intention of committing a crime and had acted unintentionally because she had packed for Moscow in a hurry," per Jim Heintz of the Associated Press. However, all cannabis use—medicinal and recreational—is illegal in Russia.

The 31-year-old was sentenced to nine years in Russian prison on Aug. 4.

The United States and Russia have been working on a potential prison swap in order to bring home Griner and detained former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan. The Biden administration has reportedly offered to exchange convicted arms dealer Viktor Bout for Griner and Whelan, per Gerald Posner of Forbes.

Jean-Pierre acknowledged Friday that "a substantial offer is on the table" and that Russia should accept the deal. However, she did not make any mention of what is included in the offer.

The Biden administration classified Griner as "wrongfully detained" in May and has frequently said that it is doing everything possible to bring Griner home.

The Phoenix Mercury selected Griner first overall in the 2013 WNBA draft out of Baylor. She has spent her entire nine-year career with the franchise, earning seven All-Star selections. The WNBA also named her an honorary All-Star this year.

Griner is also a two-time Defensive Player of the Year, ranks third all-time in career blocks and field-goal percentage and helped lead the Mercury to the 2014 WNBA title.

She is also a two-time Olympic gold medalist and has won three Russian league titles with UMMC Ekaterinburg.

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The US classified Griner as "wrongfully detained" in May, and the Biden administration offered to exchange Viktor Bout for Griner.

The US government worked on a potential prison swap with Russia, and Griner was sentenced to nine years in Russian prison.

The Biden administration was doing everything to bring Griner home, and the US wanted Russia to accept the deal for Griner's release.

LeBron James criticized the US effort to bring home Brittney Griner, calling on President Biden to bring Griner home swiftly.

Title:

Content: Democracy Dies in Darkness

LeBron James criticizes U.S. effort to bring home Brittney Griner

Comment

As WNBA star Brittney Griner approaches her fifth month in Russian custody, LeBron James criticized the U.S. response to her detainment and questioned whether she would even want to return to her home country.

“Now, how can she feel like America has her back?” James said in a trailer for the latest episode of his talk show, “The Shop: Uninterrupted.” “I would be feeling like, ‘Do I even want to go back to America?’ ”

The episode — which features a wide-ranging discussion between James, co-host Maverick Carter, show creator Paul Rivera, actor Daniel Kaluuya, British soccer star Marcus Rashford and artist Rashid Johnson — will air in its entirety Friday on YouTube.

Why was Brittney Griner in Russia, and why is she being detained?

It’s unclear when the episode was filmed, but the NBA superstar’s comments were released days after Phoenix Mercury Coach Vanessa Nygaard mentioned James while speaking about Griner’s situation.

“If it was LeBron, he’d be home, right?” Nygaard said during a news conference last week. “It’s a statement about the value of women. It’s a statement about the value of a Black person. It’s a statement about the value of a gay person. All of those. We know it.”

James is one of several high-profile athletes who have publicly advocated for further efforts to bring Griner home. In June, the Lakers star shared a tweet calling on President Biden and Vice President Harris to “bring Brittney home swiftly and safely by taking action today.”

Uninterrupted, a multimedia company founded in part by James, sold shirts stating “We Are BG” this week to benefit the advocacy fund set up by Griner’s family.

Griner was arrested Feb. 17 and charged with carrying vape cartridges allegedly containing cannabis oil in her baggage at Sheremetyevo International Airport outside Moscow. If convicted, she could face up to 10 years in prison. Griner pleaded guilty to the charge in a Russian court on Thursday.

Earlier this month, Griner wrote a letter to Biden. In it, she said she was “terrified” she might be in Russia “forever” and urged Biden to work for her release and that of other Americans detained abroad.

“I realize you are dealing with so much, but please don’t forget about me and the other American Detainees,” Griner wrote. “Please do all you can to bring us home. I voted for the first time in 2020 and I voted for you. I believe in you. I still have so much good to do with my freedom that you can help restore. ... I am grateful for whatever you can do at this moment to get me home.”

President Biden told Griner’s wife, Cherelle, in a call on Wednesday that he is working to secure the basketball player’s release “as soon as possible,” the White House said.

Griner pleaded guilty to carrying cannabis oil in Russia and could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted.

Griner wrote a letter to Biden urging her release, and President Biden told Griner's wife he was working for her release.

The US House passed a resolution for Griner's immediate release, and the US government received Griner's letter requesting help.

Title:

Content: PHOENIX (AP) — They shared laughs, smiles, memories. There also were tears, fears, unease.

Through the range of emotions, one common thread bonded them together: Brittney Griner.

Wearing “BG” shirts and holding signs, several hundred fans gathered for a public rally in support of Griner on Wednesday, hoping their sentiments would reach the WNBA player 6,000 miles away in a Russian jail cell.

“It’s really painful and hard to watch, and it’s really taken a toll on a lot of us,” said Kelly Gedney of Surprise, Arizona. “We can feel the fear that she has. It’s scary to me that she’s in a cage when she is traveling to her court cases. She’s been wrongfully detained and we’re going to do everything we can to get her home.”

Griner has spent the past four months in a Russian prison and is currently on trial. She’s accused of possessing vape cartridges containing cannabis oil when she arrived at the Moscow airport while returning to play for her Russian team, facing a prison term of up to 10 years if convicted.

The WNBA and U.S. officials have worked to free Griner, without success. Griner was able to send a handwritten letter to President Joe Biden, saying she feared spending the rest of her life in prison while pushing the administration to not forget about other American detainees.

President Biden called Griner’s wife, Cherelle, on Wednesday to tell her that he is working to free her as soon as possible.

“One hundred thirty-nine days have passed since my wife has been able to speak to me, to our family and our friends,” Cherelle Griner said during the rally, stopping to compose herself several times. “I’m frustrated my wife is not going to get justice. I know you all are frustrated, too. That’s why you’re here.”

The rally at the Footprint Center, home of the Phoenix Mercury and Suns, was part celebration of Griner’s accomplishments on and off the court with a call to action.

The rally featured videos of Griner giving back to the community, dancers and a dramatic poem reading as many of Mercury teammates sat together in chairs on the right side of the court.

Phoenix Suns player Torey Craig spoke, as did Mercury player Brianna Turner.

“To know BG is to know such a kind spirit, a nice person, such a giver — I can go on and on about the type of person she is,” said Turner, who also was able to exchange letters with Griner. “We need to get her back home. She deserves to be home. She needs to be back with her family and friends. We are BG.”

Arizona Congressman Greg Stanton, the former Phoenix mayor, also was on hand after pushing a resolution calling for Griner’s immediate release passed by the U.S. House of Representatives earlier this week.

“Today was important, a show of unity, speaking in one voice that we expect our president, our administration to do what it takes to bring our fellow American back home,” Stanton said.

___

To see more AP stories on Griner: https://apnews.com/hub/brittney-griner

The State Department met with the WNBA team over Brittney Griner's detention, and the Biden administration worked to free Brittney Griner from Russia.

Title:

Content: State Department officials meet with WNBA Greener team over detention in Russia
State Department officials met with WNBA members Britney Greiner on Monday about the months-long detention of a Phoenix Mercury star in Russia and the Biden administration ’ s efforts to free her.
The State Department confirmed the meeting, which was attended by representatives of his specialized office, advocating for hostages and unjustly holding Americans.
"It takes a lot to get her home safe and sound, they work tirelessly," Mercury star Diana Taurazi said after the meeting in a statement released by Mercury.
“We ’ re here to do everything we can to strengthen BG and keep it ahead, which is more important than any basketball game and everything else that happens in our lives.
We want BG to come home as soon as possible, he ’ s number one on our list. ”
The administration has previously said it is working to bring Greiner and another Michigan corporate security director, Paul Whelan, home from Russia.
“The State Department ’ s knowledge at the highest level, from US President Joe Biden to the team working to bring back all unjustly detained Americans, gives us great confidence that they are working on it, ” said Turassi.
Grenier was detained on February 17 at an airport in Russia after local authorities said that during an inspection of her bag, vape cartridges containing a derivative of cannabis were found.
In May, the State Department reclassified Greiner as unjustly detained and transferred oversight of her case to the State Department ’ s Presidential Commissioner for Hostage Affairs, or SPEHA.
“It is the 116th day since B.G. was unjustly arrested.
It was nice to hear from the State Department that we should continue to spread this message and that we should continue to put pressure on everyone who has any influence or power to help bring B.G. home, ” said coach Vanessa Mercury Nygaard.
The head of the Polish Draughts Federation apologized for the incident with the raising of the Russian flag - sport
After meeting with the State Department, Mercury players and staff met with Congressman Greg Stanton of Arizona and Congressman Sheila Jackson Lee of Houston, Grener ’ s hometown.
“For Mercury ’ s team, coaches and CEOs, every day without Britney is a lifetime, ” Stanton said.
Teammates and league players are pushing President Biden on social media to help her get home.
WNBA players were also able to send emails and messages to Griner through an account created by her agent.
The emails are periodically printed and delivered to Greener by her lawyer after being verified by Russian officials.
As soon as the lawyers return to their offices, they will scan any responses from Greener and send them to the United States to send to the players.

The US government had a specialized office for hostages like Griner, and Griner's case was overseen by the Presidential Commissioner for Hostage Affairs.

The US officials considered Brittney Griner wrongfully detained in Russia, and the Biden administration planned to aggressively work for her release.

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US officials: Brittney Griner considered wrongfully detained

By ERIC TUCKER and MATTHEW LEE
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration has determined WNBA star Brittney Griner is being wrongfully detained in Russia, meaning the U.S. will more aggressively work to secure her release while the legal case against her plays out. That’s according to two U.S. officials who spoke Tuesday to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. Griner was detained at an airport in February after Russian authorities said a search of her bag revealed vape cartridges containing traces of cannabis oil. U.S. officials previously stopped short of classifying the Phoenix Mercury player as wrongfully detained. The president of the WNBA players’ union says it’s time for Griner to “come home.”

The Associated Press

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The US made a substantial offer to release Brittney Griner, and US officials called Griner's detention wrongful.

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Griner testifies in Russia as U.S. offers deal

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STORY: U.S. basketball player Brittney Griner testified in a Russian court Wednesday that her rights weren't read when she was detained at a Moscow airport in February

"No, my rights were never read to me. No one explained any of it to me."

Griner is on trial for drug charges that could cost her up to 10 years in prison.

The 31-year-old WNBA star plays in Russia during the league's offseason. She was detained when agents found vape cartridges containing hashish oil in her luggage.

Griner said in court Wednesday that she was not provided with an interpreter and did not understand what papers she was made to sign.

"I can only assume they were about the search and the cartridges. We had to use my phone and Google Translate for him to be able to tell me a little bit."

Griner pleaded guilty earlier in the trial but denied she intended to break Russian law.

She said on Wednesday that she still did not understand how the vape cartridges could have ended up in her luggage, saying she had packed hurriedly and could accidentally have included them.

Griner said she had been prescribed medical cannabis in the US to treat chronic injuries - but it is illegal in Russia.

The case against her has highlighted strained relations between Russia and the United States that have plunged to their lowest since the Cold War over the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

U.S. officials say Griner has been wrongly detained and called for her immediate release.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday the US had made a "substantial offer" to bring home Griner and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, convicted in Russia of spying.

"We want to see those who are wrongfully detained be released and be able to return home. At the same time, it's important that we work to reinforce the global norm against these arbitrary detentions."

The Kremlin has said the case against her has nothing to do with politics and that she should be tried for violating Russian law.

The Biden administration offered to swap Brittney Griner for Viktor Bout, and negotiations were in the early stages.

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Brittney Griner Involved In Possible Prisoner Swap With Russia

In an effort to free Brittney Griner, the pro basketball star detained in Russia, the Biden administration has offered to swap her for convicted arms dealer Viktor Bout and send him back to Russia, Forbes has learned. Negotiations are in the early stages, according to a non-government source in a position to know.

Griner, a two-time Olympic gold medalist and six-time WNBA all-star who also plays professionally in Russia, was arrested in Moscow Feb. 17 after customs police claimed they found vape cartridges with hash oil in her luggage. Bout, the so-called “Merchant of Death,” inspired Nicolas Cage’s gunrunner character in the 2005 film, “Lord of War.” He’s serving a 25-year sentence in federal prison since his 2011 conviction in New York federal court of conspiring to sell millions of dollars in weapons to FARC, the Colombian terror group.

The possibility of a Griner-Bout trade was reported on May 13 by Tass, Russia’s state-owned news agency, and confirmed for Forbes by the source. “Currently, talks are underway on exchanging Bout for Griner,” Tass reported, citing “a source in the Public Monitoring Commission.” A second Moscow-based news outlet, Gazeta.Ru, had earlier reported a Griner-Bout exchange was in the works.

A spokesperson for the U.S. State Department declined to comment. Roger Carstens, the special presidential envoy for hostage affairs, who leads the interagency team that’s working for Griner’s release, had no comment. The same was true for Bout’s New York attorney, Steve Zissou. Lindsay Kagawa Colas, Griner’s California agent, did not respond to requests for comment.

Despite the anti-Russian fervor in Washington sparked by President Vladimir Putin’s unprovoked war in Ukraine, the White House a month ago struck a deal to free Trevor Reed, a former Marine who had been held in a Russian prison for two years for allegedly attacking a Moscow police officer. In exchange, President Joe Biden commuted the sentence of Konstantin Yaroshenko, who was serving 20 years for conspiring to import $100 million in cocaine.

Former New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, who’d been instrumental in Reed’s release, is also working on behalf of Griner’s family at their request, according to Mickey Bergman, vice president of the Richardson Center. He’s also working for the release of Paul Whelan, a former Marine detained in Moscow since 2018 on espionage charges. “The situation (as you might imagine) is sensitive,” Bergman said, declining to comment further.

Bout was a translator in the Soviet army before starting an air-freight company that transported tens of millions of arms he supplied during his heyday in the 1990s and early 2000s to sanctioned militias and rebels in conflicts throughout Africa and Asia. Soft-spoken, erudite, fluent in seven languages with an IQ of 170, Bout seemed more like a university professor than the world’s most notorious illegal arms trafficker. His 2008 arrest in Bangkok was part of a sting operation by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency.

The U.S. government opposes the practice of wrongful detention as a bargaining chip because it represents a threat to the safety of everyone traveling, working and living abroad, a State Department official told Forbes. That disdain, however, didn’t stop the department from helping arrange the release of Reed and others.

Griner, 31, is by far the most high profile of the more than a dozen Americans detained by Russia in the last decade. That puts more pressure on the State Department, which is acutely aware that as a Black lesbian, Griner could be a target of Putin’s exclusionary politics. Since the maximum base salary in the WNBA is $228,094 — male stars can earn as much as Steph Curry’s $45 million annually — Griner and many other American women play during the WNBA off-season in Russia, where they can bring home more than $1 million. Griner has played several years for the team in Ekaterinburg.

Griner’s U.S. supporters were at first mostly silent over her plight. The government convinced them that Russia might deport her quickly only if her case did not become front-page news. Once it became clear that Russia planned to hold her, the State Department changed her status to “wrongfully detained,” opening the door to swap negotiations. Briner’s U.S. supporters have spoken out forcefully against her imprisonment.

One lingering question is whether a deal to swap Bout for Griner will get Biden’s approval. Given the president’s declaration that Putin is a “war criminal,” some on Griner’s team worry he might hesitate before freeing an infamous Russian arms trafficker.

“There’s a problem with releasing a convicted arms trafficker for Griner, whose drug possession would probably only be a fine in the U.S.,” says Shira Scheindlin, the retired federal judge who presided over the Bout trial and was required to sentence him to the 25-year mandatory minimum. “It would be better if Bout – who has already served too much time in my opinion – was exchanged for both Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan. Then there would be some moral equivalency about which few could complain.”

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Brittney Griner returned to the US after 10 months in a Russian prison, where she was detained for possessing cannabis oil in an e-cigarette case.

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Content: WNBA star Greiner: It's good to be home
^ "American" Brittney Griner ".
(Photo / Reuters)
News / Central News Agency, Washington, 16.
U.S. women's professional basketball star Brittney Griner, released by Russia, said today for the first time that it is "good to be home" and vowed to play for the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury this season.
Greiner posted a message on Instagram thanking a long list of people who helped her release, including “special thanks ” to President Joe Biden.
"I also want to make one thing clear: I plan to play for the WNBA Phoenix Mercury this season," Greiner said.
The two-time Olympic gold medalist was arrested at Moscow airport on February 17 for carrying cannabis oil in her e-cigarette case. On August 4, she was sentenced to nine years in prison by a Russian court for drug possession and smuggling.
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She was sentenced to nine years in prison by a Russian court, but was released through a US-Russia prisoner exchange before the New Year.

Griner cut her dreadlocks before her release from the Russian prison to prevent them from freezing in the cold Russian winter.

She made the decision to cut her hair two weeks prior to her release, driven by survival instincts and necessity.

After her release, Griner thanked President Joe Biden for helping to secure her freedom and announced her plans to play for the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury in the upcoming season.

Griner played for the Phoenix Mercury in a WNBA pre-season warm-up, scoring 10 points and 3 rebounds in 17 minutes of play.

Title:

Content: WNBA: Brittney Griner makes first comeback after being jailed in Russia: 'It's a miracle she's back here'
Author: Wu Muer
Published: Updated:
American star center Brittney Griner, who was imprisoned in Russia for 10 months, returned to the United States for the first time since being released in December to play for the Phoenix Mercury in the WNBA pre-season warm-up.
Even if the team is 71: 90 against the Los Angeles Sparks, Glenna's performance is still a long way from the level of the game, no one cares about the result, coach Vanessa Nygaard and Mercury teammates are excited, opponents of the Sparks players tightly hugged her, Glenna said this battle is significant, saying: "Never take any day for granted."
Glenna (right) returns to basketball for the first time since returning to the United States. (Reuters)
Glenna, 32, is one of the most famous female basketball stars in the United States. She was selected to the WNBA star team eight times and won the Olympic gold medal twice for the United States.
Possession of cannabis is illegal in Russia, but the standard penalty for possession of cannabis oil under 2 grams or cannabis under 6 grams is a fine or imprisonment for up to 15 days.
The United States initially attempted diplomatic mediation without success, alleging that Glenna was "illegally arrested" by the Russian side, and the incident became a new chapter in the political turmoil between the United States and Russia.
In September last year, a Russian court sentenced Glenna to nine years in prison. After her appeal was dismissed, the United States and Russia finally reached a prisoner exchange agreement and were released from prison on December 8.
She has returned to the team training earlier, Saturday for the first time in the game, is selected to play 17 minutes, the first minute has scored two points, the 6 feet 9 inches of the center long sparrow, the performance inevitably has a "rust" sense, 5 shot 2, with the penalty ball scored 10 points, and 3 rebounds, she knows that the distance from the best state is still far, after a disaster she said: Sitting here, I never thought I could play basketball so quickly. "
Glenna took part in a live video interrogation at a Russian prison last year. (AP)
“I don ’ t know what will happen, but I ’ m grateful to be here. ”
I won ’ t take it for granted any day since, ” she said. “Hearing the national anthem again feels completely different. ”
It's like being in the Olympics, you sit there, the gold medal is about to wear the neck, the national flag is raised, the national anthem is played, and the feeling is very different. "
For the first time since 2021, Glenna is competing in a Mercury suit. “Being here today means a lot … it feels good, it definitely feels appreciated. ”
I can ’ t wait to get back to a day where it was just basketball. ” Yes, because everyone was completely distracted by her return to the game, even the team ’ s head coach.
Mercury coach Vanessa Nygaard said that the national anthem and the introduction of the moment, the whole team is excited, "we look at each other, the chicken skin straight up."
Last year we had everything here all year, and now I ’ m starting to feel emotional.
It was an absolute miracle just to see Glenna come out again, it was amazing, and it made me skin again. ”
Glenna has twice won Olympic gold medals for the United States, including the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. (Getty Images)
Glinna's return to the field also rekindled Mercury's hopes for the title.
She was the 2013 WNBA draft pick, was selected by Mercury and has been playing since then, winning the team's third WNBA championship in 2014. She averaged 17.7 points and 7.6 rebounds in nine years of WNBA career, and Mercury won the final of the playoffs for three consecutive years from 2016 to 2018.
In 2022, the team lost to Glenna, and the team was defeated by the Las Vegas Aces in the first round of the playoffs 0: 2.
In the comeback war, Glenna did not perform as expected, thinking that she was detained in Russia for 10 months, during which time she was interrogated, sentenced to heavy prison, imprisoned in a mysterious prison where the outside world can not know the location, coupled with lack of language, psychological torture and suffering, to be able to step out of the field is actually a victory.
She confessed, “It ’ s far from what I hoped, but it ’ s back on track, and we ’ re doing the right thing. ”
The WNBA 2023 regular season kicks off on Friday, May 19, with Mercury playing against the Los Angeles Sparks.
Greta returned to the game for the first time with a lot of expressions:
+ 1

She averaged 17.7 points and 7.6 rebounds in her 9-year WNBA career and helped the Mercury win the 2014 WNBA championship.

Griner expressed gratitude to be back playing basketball in the US and thanked the people who helped secure her release on Instagram.

She spent 294 days in Russian custody and was released on December 8 through the prisoner exchange with Viktor Bout.

Griner's return to the US was marked by a warm welcome, and she was transported to Brooke Army Medical Center's reintegration center for evaluation and treatment.

Title:

Content: Olympic gold medalist Brittney Griner arrives in San Antonio after 10 months in Russian custody

Griner was transported to Brook Army Medical Center's reintegration center upon her arrival.

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Instagram / brittneyyevettegriner
WNBA star Brittney Griner spent 294 days in Russian custody after customs officials in Moscow allegedly discovered vape canisters containing cannabinoid oil in her luggage.
WNBA star Brittney Griner touched down at San Antonio’s former Kelly Air Force base early Friday morning after 10 months in Russian custody, according to media reports.

The two-time Olympic gold medalist was smiling as she stepped off the plane at 4:30 a.m., the Express-News reports. Following her arrival, she was transported to Brooke Army Medical Center’s reintegration facility, where she will receive any necessary medical treatment.

Medical experts from UT Health San Antonio told KSAT that Griner also may undergo extensive mental health evaluations.

In February, Griner was arrested at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport after customs officials allegedly found vape canisters continuing cannabinoid oil in her luggage. In August, she pled guilty to the charges and was sentenced to nine years in a Russian penal colony. She spent 294 days in Russian custody, according to the daily.

The basketball star was released in a prisoner swap between the U.S. and Russia on Thursday, in which the Biden administration handed over notorious international arms dealer Viktor Bout.

In a statement, Griner's family offered “sincere gratitude” to President Joe Biden and his administration for their efforts in bringing her home, according to the Express-News. It is unclear how long Griner will be in San Antonio before returning home to her family.

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She may undergo mental health evaluations at UT Health San Antonio as part of her reintegration process.

Griner's family thanked President Joe Biden for his role in securing her release, and she was seen smiling upon her arrival at San Antonio's air base.

Griner was heckled at Dallas airport by YouTuber Alex Stein, prompting the WNBA to take steps to ensure her safety during travel.

Title:

Content: Phoenix Mercury confirm 'travel adjustments' after Brittney Griner was heckled at airport - as full video shows conservative YouTuber asking WNBA star 'if she had sex with Vladimir Putin'

  • Brittney Griner was heckled by YouTuber Alex Stein in Dallas on Saturday
  • The Phoenix Mercury have now confirmed they will make 'travel adjustments'
  • DailyMail.com provides all the latest international sports news

Phoenix Mercury coach Vanessa Nygaard has confirmed the team will make travel adjustments to upcoming road games after Brittney Griner was confronted by a conservative YouTube personality on Saturday at Dallas Airport.

Griner was convicted of drug smuggling in Russia and spent close to 10 months locked up in Mordovia, before she was brought back to America in a controversial prisoner swap with Viktor Bout - commonly known as 'The Merchant of Death'.

The reaction from the American public hasn't been overwhelmingly positive after Griner's return, given her previous comments about boycotting the national anthem - only to flip her opinion when she returned after her imprisonment in Russia.

That led to Stein filming Griner at Dallas Airport and attempting to ask her questions, which were met with silence by the WNBA star.

In the full clip, released on Sunday, Stein can be heard saying: 'Was that a fair trade for the Merchant of Death? I know you kill it on the court, but he kills it in real life.

Brittney Griner was asked if she had sex with Russian president Vladimir Putin on Saturday

Griner was heckled at the airport in Dallas as she and her teammates walked to their plane

Griner was back on the court on Sunday as the Phoenix Mercury beat the Indiana Fever

'Is it true you had to have sex with Vladimir Putin to get released from Russia? Brit? What about his wife?'

Although Mercury coach Nygaard has declined to reveal further details about the amendment to their travel plans, she did cite safety concerns.

The coach didn't like what transpired at the airport as the Mercury were leaving Dallas to get to Sunday's road game against the Indiana Fever.

'No one should be a victim of targeted harassment,' Nygaard said before the game. 'I'm grateful that our team and our staff are physically OK.

'Most of all, I'm grateful that BG has been back here in the United States for 185 days now. If her being home makes some people mad, I think that obviously says more about them than it does about her.'

The Mercury traveling party was eventually escorted into a room at the airport to get away from the heckling.

'That's obviously nothing no one wants to deal with, especially on a business trip for work,' Phoenix center Brianna Turner said. 'We're representing the league, we're representing the city of Phoenix, our organization and in times like that we don't want to cause a big scene.

Griner is pictured putting her bag through a scanner after she was approached by a sniffer dog at Moscow airport in February 2022

Griner spent nearly 10 months in a Russian penal colony for drug smuggling last year

She was involved in a high-profile prisoner swap with 'Merchant of Death' Viktor Bout (above)

'We don't to like throw phones or say some things. I guess the lesson is you live and learn but I don't know what you do if it happens again.'

While the WNBA said it has been working to keep Griner and all the players safe, the players union said Saturday that the league needs to do a better job of providing charter flights.

New York Liberty star Breanna Stewart, who is a member of the union's executive committee, is all for Griner flying however she wants.

'I think that, you know, that there needs to be extra precautionary measures taken and you know, I don't think anyone is against BG having charter flights whenever she wants, so that she can be herself and travel and be comfortable and be safe,' Stewart said. 'Because that's the last thing we want is what happened yesterday.'

Griner scored 29 points as the Mercury posted an 85-82 win over the Fever on Sunday.

Brittney Griner: Phoenix Mercury confirm 'travel adjustments' after airport incident

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The Phoenix Mercury made travel adjustments for upcoming games, including charter flights, to prioritize Griner's safety and comfort.

Griner scored 29 points in a win over the Indiana Fever and has been silent when asked about Vladimir Putin and her prison release.

She feels great wearing her Phoenix jersey again and is using her platform to support other prisoners.

Title:

Content: Greiner: I didn ’ t think that the story with me would become so big
Comments
The famous American basketball player Brittney Greiner told about her feelings from returning home after imprisonment in Russia.
“I didn ’ t think that the story with me could become so big.
But that ’ s great, because now I can reach more people and bring them to the WNBA, and also tell them about other prisoners who are still in another country and who we ’ re trying to bring home.
So I ’ m just taking this great opportunity to continue to support those who need it and don ’ t have the attention or media coverage they should receive.
It ’ s a great feeling to wear a Phoenix jersey again.
Just being on the set, feeling it all.
I didn ’ t think it would happen so quickly, I was ready for a long journey, but it ’ s so nice to be here, to be in the media again, to wear this jersey. ”
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“I didn ’ t deserve it! ”
Greiner had to shut up after returning to the United States
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Griner is surprised by the massive coverage of her story and is ready to bring attention to the WNBA.

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Content: Greiner: I didn ’ t think that the story with me would become so big
Comments
The famous American basketball player Brittney Greiner told about her feelings from returning home after imprisonment in Russia.
“I didn ’ t think that the story with me could become so big.
But that ’ s great, because now I can reach more people and bring them to the WNBA, and also tell them about other prisoners who are still in another country and who we ’ re trying to bring home.
So I ’ m just taking this great opportunity to continue to support those who need it and don ’ t have the attention or media coverage they should receive.
It ’ s a great feeling to wear a Phoenix jersey again.
Just being on the set, feeling it all.
I didn ’ t think it would happen so quickly, I was ready for a long journey, but it ’ s so nice to be here, to be in the media again, to wear this jersey. ”
Materials on the topic
“I didn ’ t deserve it! ”
Greiner had to shut up after returning to the United States
Comments
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She is grateful to be back in the media and didn't expect a quick return to normal.

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Content: Greiner: I didn ’ t think that the story with me would become so big
Comments
The famous American basketball player Brittney Greiner told about her feelings from returning home after imprisonment in Russia.
“I didn ’ t think that the story with me could become so big.
But that ’ s great, because now I can reach more people and bring them to the WNBA, and also tell them about other prisoners who are still in another country and who we ’ re trying to bring home.
So I ’ m just taking this great opportunity to continue to support those who need it and don ’ t have the attention or media coverage they should receive.
It ’ s a great feeling to wear a Phoenix jersey again.
Just being on the set, feeling it all.
I didn ’ t think it would happen so quickly, I was ready for a long journey, but it ’ s so nice to be here, to be in the media again, to wear this jersey. ”
Materials on the topic
“I didn ’ t deserve it! ”
Greiner had to shut up after returning to the United States
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Griner met with Vice President Kamala Harris on her return to the US and expressed gratitude towards her fans and supporters.

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Brittney Griner returns to WNBA, meets Kamala Harris

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Griner returned to the basketball court after being detained in Russia for narcotics possession and trafficking. She was released during a high profile prisoner swap.

https://p.dw.com/p/4RbLo

US basketball star Brittney Griner made a return to the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) late Friday in Los Angeles, receiving an enthusiastic welcome from the crowd, which included Vice President Kamala Harris.

Griner on return to court: 'It felt good'

Griner, who was released from a Russian penal colony in a high-profile prisoner exchange with the US last year, was embraced by Harris on the court before the game.

"It felt good, it felt real good. It felt like the last time I played," Griner said with a smile, reflecting on her shot after missing the entire previous season while detained in Russia for nearly 10 months. She expressed her gratitude towards fans and supporters.

Griner, from the visiting Phoenix Mercury team, appeared emotional during her introduction, and the crowd erupted with cheers when she made a 17-foot (2.1-meter) jumper on her first attempt of the contest.

Outside the arena, Nike billboards displayed a photo of Griner with the caption "Basketball is Home."

Phoenix coach Vanessa Nygaard described her return as a "day of joy."

"All last season I opened every press conference with how many days she is gone. And until the day when we got the news in the morning that she was on her way home, no one thought that it was going to happen," she said in pre-game remarks.

Why had Griner been imprisoned in Russia?

The two-time Olympic gold medalist was taken into custody at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport in February 2022 and later convicted of narcotics possession and trafficking. She had been found carrying vape cartridges containing hashish oil in her luggage.

She was then sentenced to nine years in prison. However, she maintained that she had been prescribed medical cannabis in the United States for a chronic injury and never intended to break the law.

Brittney Griner set to make WNBA return

US officials claimed she was wrongly detained and used as a political pawn during a period of strained relations with Moscow.

"I appreciate everything a little bit more now," Griner said. "All the little, small moments. I used to say, oh I'm so tired, I don't want to go to practice today. I think that has changed. I'm just appreciating everything because tomorrow is not guaranteed. You don't know what it's going to look like."

As she kicked off her 10th season with the Mercury, the 32-year-old two-time Olympic champion expressed a renewed perspective on the sport.

The game saw notable figures in attendance, including tennis Hall of Famer Billie Jean King and Lakers legend Magic Johnson. The Los Angeles Sparks won with a score of 94-71.

Griner had previously played in a pre-season game one week ago.

tg/wd (Reuters, AP)

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She appeared emotional during her introduction and made

She appeared emotional during her introduction and made