A new image of WNBA star Brittney Griner was released by Russian State Media on Tuesday. The mugshot shows Griner, 31, wearing all black and holding a sheet of paper in front of her.
This #InternationalWomensDay, we stand in solidarity with #BrittneyGriner. A Black woman, 2-time US Olympic basketball gold medalist & WNBA star has been held captive in Russia for over 3 weeks. We pray for a swift & safe return. Please retweet and/or post your photo in support. pic.twitter.com/xOImUqAqoz
— MS Black Women's Roundtable (@MS_BWR) March 8, 2022
Griner was arrested in early February at a Moscow airport shortly after she arrived on a flight from New York City. Her arrest was announced by Russian authorities on Saturday.
The 6-foot-9 Phoenix Mercury center was charged with smuggling drugs into the country after customs officials searched her luggage and found a vape pen containing cannabis oil.
Her current location is unknown.
Griner is among many WNBA players who compete overseas during the WNBA off season.
She reportedly earned $1 million per year and played 7 seasons in Russian.
Griner may spend years in a Russian prison, according to a former U.S. Department of Justice employee.
ESPN’s TJ Quinn quoted Tom Firestone, legal advisor to the US Embassy in Moscow, in a series of Twitter posts.
“There’s little information on Griner’s situation, but experts I’ve spoken to (like Tom Firestone, former DOJ legal advisor to US Embassy in Moscow, who joined me on air) say she’s teetering between two legal paths.”
The first is the Russian legal system. It’s better for her if this remains a legal case, with a Russian attorney helping to limit her legal jeopardy. But the other path is the political one. If Putin or someone in his government decides to make an example of her… /2
— T.J. Quinn (@TJQuinnESPN) March 7, 2022
then she becomes a hostage instead of a criminal defendant. As a 6-9 Black gay American woman, she’s a powerful cultural symbol, and experts worry that Putin would use her a a cautionary tale of American decadence. This is why everyone around her is trying to keep it low key. /3
— T.J. Quinn (@TJQuinnESPN) March 7, 2022
There was a case in 2019 where an Israeli woman was detained with 10g of weed and eventually Netanyahu negotiated a deal wherein Putin pardoned her. But it was a diplomatic deal, not a legal resolution. If Griner becomes a political chit, who knows how long she might be there. /4
— T.J. Quinn (@TJQuinnESPN) March 7, 2022
But 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. /x
— T.J. Quinn (@TJQuinnESPN) March 7, 2022
