Brittney Griner is grateful to be home!
As we’ve been following, the WNBA star was jailed and later convicted on drug charges for possessing cannabis oil in her luggage after arriving in Moscow from New York City. She was first detained back in February and has spent all that time behind bars. Finally, after months of trying to get her back to the US, President Joe Biden‘s office finally secured a prisoner exchange last week and she was reunited with her friends and family. In an emotional Instagram post on Friday, the Phoenix Mercury center broke her silence on her return home from Russia.
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The 32-year-old opened about the swap and thanked the many people involved in getting her home safely. She wrote alongside photos of her reunion with her wife Cherelle Griner:
“It feels so good to be home! The last 10 months have been a battle at every turn. I dug deep to keep my faith and it was the love from so many of you that helped keep me going. From the bottom of my heart, thank you to everyone for your help.”
She then took a moment to acknowledge those in power who advocated for her return, adding:
“I am grateful to each person who advocated for me, especially my wife, Cherelle Griner, my family, Lindsay Kagawa Colas and Casey Wasserman and my whole team at Wasserman, Vince Kozar and the Phoenix Mercury, the players of the WNBA, and my entire WNBA family, Terri Jackson and the WNBPA staff, my Russian legal team Maria Blagovolina and Alex Boykov, the leaders, activists, and grassroots organizations, Gov. [Bill] Richardson and Mickey Bergman of the Richardson Center, the Bring Our Families Home Campaign, Roger Carstens and the SPEHA team, and of course, a special thank you to President Biden, Vice President [Kamala] Harris, Secretary [Antony] Blinken and the entire Biden-Harris Administration.”
It truly took a village!
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The athlete went on to insist she will do everything she can to help get Paul Whelan — the American Marine and corporate security executive who was unfortunately not part of the swap — and all other detained Americans home soon, too, adding:
“President Biden, you brought me home and I know you are committed to bringing Paul Whelan and all Americans home too. I will use my platform to do whatever I can to help you. I also encourage everyone that played a part in bringing me home to continue their efforts to bring all Americans home. Every family deserves to be whole.
As I transition home to enjoy the holidays with my family, I want to acknowledge and thank the entire PISA staff and medical team at the San Antonio Fort Sam Houston Base. I appreciate the time and care to make sure I was okay and equipped with the tools for this new journey.”
We cannot imagine how challenging her time in prison must have been. We’re glad she’s receiving the support she needs to process this trauma and begin a new chapter of her life. Last but not least, she declared she wants to return to the WNBA in the upcoming season, announcing:
“I also want to make one thing very clear: I intend to play basketball for the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury this season, and in doing so, I look forward to being able to say ‘thank you’ to those of you who advocated, wrote, and posted for me in person soon.”
Incredible! So many people will be happy to cheer her on! We’re so happy she is home and doing well so far. We’re wishing her and her family nothing but the best as they process the extremely hellish year they’ve endured. Check out the powerful message (below):
Reactions? Let us know (below).
[Image via ESPN/YouTube & Brittney Griner/Instagram]
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