It’s been seven months since WNBA player Brittney Griner was detained in Russia in mid-February. As previously reported by REVOLT, the Phoenix Mercury athlete was traveling through airport security when authorities discovered she was in possession of cannabis oil.
In an interview with “CBS Morning News” today (Oct. 6), Brittney’s wife Cherelle spoke with show host Gayle King about her conversations with the Olympian. As the conversation began, Cherelle shared that she feels as though her wife is a “hostage” for Russia’s government to make a political statement. Brittney was sentenced to nine years in prison for carrying a substance that was legally prescribed to her in the United States.
Cherelle Griner is in the fight of her life to bring home her wife, Brittney Griner, who’s been sentenced to nine years in prison.
She fears the worst: “I don’t know if she has anything left in her tank to continue to wake up every day and be in a place where she has no one.” pic.twitter.com/WR4fm5RRUt
— CBS Mornings (@CBSMornings) October 6, 2022
Cherelle said after meeting with President Biden about Brittney’s case, she does feel he is doing all in his power to help. She added, “But there’s another party in this situation and we also are dealing with the need for Russia to have mercy on BG as well.” Cherelle said she thinks ultimately it will be up to Russian President Vladimir Putin to free Brittney.
The supportive wife is hopeful Putin will acknowledge that Brittney frequented Russia for around eight years and put a positive spotlight on the country by playing basketball for UMMC Ekaterinburg and paying taxes. Cherelle noted that similar reports of Americans being detained for cannabis-related issues have surfaced, but those Americans were free to go after paying a fine. She believes Russian officials are using Brittney’s star status to make a point.
While speaking with King, Cherelle revealed her communication with her wife has been limited. She said she wasn’t able to have a phone conversation until six months after Brittney’s arrest. And since then, there have only been two conversations. Cherelle shared that after their second talk, she cried for days on end because “it was the most disturbing call [she’d] ever experienced.”
“You could hear that she was not OK,” Cherelle said. Her voice began to break as she emotionally recalled not being able to do anything to help Brittney’s situation. The WNBA player is due back in court for an appeal hearing on Oct. 25.