The wife of Brittney Griner has broken her silence after it was revealed that the athlete was arrested and detained in Russia on drug charges.
As we previously reported, the Russian Federal Customs Service announced that the 31-year-old basketballer, who plays for the UMMC Ekaterinburg team in Russia during the WNBA off-season, was arrested after officials found vape cartridges containing hashish oil in her luggage at an airport near Moscow. A video was released by the customs agency, which showed the moment that the hash pens were discovered from her personal belongings. And while the Russian Federal Customs Service didn’t identify Griner as the person who was detained at first, it was later revealed to be the player.
It is unclear when Griner was arrested, plus the details surrounding her detention are unknown. However, her last communication was on February 5, when she posted a picture of her and her Phoenix Mercury teammates on Instagram. And according to NBC News, Griner last played in Russia on January 29 before the league ended up taking a two-week break in early February for the FIBA World Cup qualifying tournaments.
According to The New York Times, an investigation was opened against her for drug trafficking, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. Her agent previously told E! News in a statement:
“We are aware of the situation with Brittney Griner in Russia and are in close contact with her, her legal representation in Russia, her family, her teams, and the WNBA and NBA. As this is an ongoing legal matter, we are not able to comment further on the specifics of her case but can confirm that as we work to get her home, her mental and physical health remain our primary concern.”
Now, the Olympian’s wife has spoken out about what has happened. Cherelle Griner hopped on Instagram Sunday to express her gratitude to fans for the support while the efforts continue to free Brittney. She wrote alongside a picture of the couple sitting on a patio chair on the beach:
“Thank you to everyone who has reached out to me regarding my wife’s safe return from Russia. Your prayers and support are greatly appreciated. I love my wife wholeheartedly, so this message comes during one of the weakest moments of my life. I understand that many of you have grown to love BG over the years and have concerns and want details. Please honor our privacy as we continue to work on getting my wife home safely. Thank you!”
News of Brittney’s arrest comes amid the escalating conflict created by Russia’s recent invasion of Ukraine. On Saturday, the State Department even issued a “do not travel” advisory for Russia and urged all US citizens to leave immediately. Per The New York Times, any WNBA players who were in the country or Ukraine at the time had left – except for Griner. A spokesperson for the department told CNN:
“We are aware of reports of a U.S. citizen arrested in Moscow. Whenever a U.S. citizen is arrested overseas, we stand ready to provide all appropriate consular services.”
While Reuters reports that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken confirmed diplomats are working to ensure Griner’s release, this is bound to become complicated situation given the increasing tensions between the US and Russia due to the latter’s invasion.
We can only imagine how scary all of this must be for Cherelle…
Reactions to her statement, Perezcious readers? Let us know in the comments.
[Image via Brittney Griner/Instagram, Cherelle Griner/Instagram]
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