News March 07, 2022
Wife of WNBA Star Brittney Griner ‘Hurting’ After Russia Detainment
Instagram
The wife of Brittney Griner reveals the amount of “pain” she is in after the WNBA star was detained and charged over the weekend in Russia for allegedly possessing hash oil in her luggage.
In an emotional statement posted Monday on Instagram, Cherelle Griner shared a pic of the basketball player and loved ones and revealed how she is doing after Brittney had been charged with smuggling "narcotic drugs" into Russia — a crime that carries a sentence of five to 10 years in prison if she is convicted.
“We love you babe! People say, ‘Stay busy.’ Yet, there’s not a task in this world that could keep any of us from worrying about you. My heart, our hearts, are all skipping beats everyday that goes by,” Cherelle wrote in an edited post.
“I miss your voice. I miss your presence. You’re our person! There are no words to express this pain. I’m hurting, we’re hurting. We await the day to love on you as a family.”
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The day prior, Cherelle broke her silence on Brittney’s detainment, expressing gratitude to those who sent well-wishes amid the couple’s tumultuous legal issues.
“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,” Cherelle said.
“I understand that many of you have grown to love [Brittney] over the years and have concerns and want details. Please honor our privacy as we continue to work on getting my wife home safely.”
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On Saturday, the Russia Federal Customs Service said in a statement that Brittney had flown to Moscow from New York in February when a customs service dog at the Sheremetyevo International Airport indicated that drugs were possibly located inside her carry-on bag.
After customs officers searched the bag, they allegedly found vape cartridges that contained liquid with hash oil.
Brittney — a member of the UMMC Ekaterinburg, a Russian basketball team based in Yekaterinburg that competes in the Russian Premier League and FIBA Europe's EuroLeague Women — was eventually taken into custody and charged.
Brittney’s trip to Russia reportedly occurred after the U.S. State Department issued a "do not travel'' advisory for the country on January 23 in which officials warned against "the potential for harassment against U.S. citizens, the embassy's limited ability to assist U.S. citizens in Russia, COVID-19 and related entry restrictions, terrorism, harassment by Russian government security officials, and the arbitrary enforcement of local law."
On Saturday, a new travel advisory was issued warning U.S. citizens to "depart Russia immediately" due to "the potential for harassment against U.S. citizens by Russian government security officials" following Russia's "unprovoked and unjustified attack" on Ukraine.
That same day at a press conference, Texas Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, who represents Brittney's hometown of Houston, demanded that Russia release Griner from custody.
"Let me be very clear: Brittney Griner is a United States citizen. She was a guest in Russia… I will be demanding her release," Rep. Lee told the crowd.
Lee also said she has been in communication with the U.S. State Department "to try and get them to focus on [Brittney’s] circumstances,” noting "how dangerous it is right now in Moscow," especially "in Moscow prisons.”
