Brittney Griner is a former WNBA superstar who pleaded guilty drug smuggling. In 2016, Griner was taken into custody in Russia. Griner was a high school basketball star who led the United States women to the Rio Olympics in 2016. Griner's story is not perfect, but Griner made a wise decision and is already in prison.
WNBA player brittney griner pleaded guilty drug smuggling
The WNBA superstar was arrested in February. She pleaded guilty at the time to drug smuggling. She was sentenced to three-years in prison, and she will spend the rest of her sentence at a Russian correctional facility. Griner admitted in her guilty plea that she was involved smuggling drugs. However, she insisted that she did not intend on breaking the law.
She was arrested in Russia in 2016.
Griner is not being silenced despite her international popularity. Her supporters have called for her release, but her husband and team have stayed quiet. They said that they had no "political understanding" of Griner’s detention. Russian government has a strong anti-drug culture. Griner's arrest caused her great embarrassment and the WNBA did not support her.
She was the leader of the United States women's team basketball to victory at the Rio Olympics
Griner is only 19 years old, but she has already won numerous gold medals. She was part of the USA women’s team basketball in Rio de Janeiro where they defeated Spain 101-72 for the gold medal. In 2011, she won a FIBA World Cup gold medal. She has won many national and international honors over the years, including All-Tournament Team, Most Valuable Player in Gold Medal Game, and numerous other international honors.
She was sentenced to nine year imprisonment
Griner has been declared a "wrongful detainee" by the U.S. government and they are working to get her back. Bill Richardson, a former U.S. ambassador at the United Nations, has been designated to assist. Richardson has years of experience as a hostage negotiator. He will immediately begin to work to get Griner returned. Griner had been in the care a consular agent, and that officer visited her May 19 to report that Griner was well and doing well in spite of the difficulties. Griner is currently under the care of the State Department. The consular officer visited her on May 19 and reported that Griner is doing well in difficult circumstances.
Now her fate rests on diplomatic negotiations between Russia, the U.S., and China
Griner is still being held as of Thursday while her family attempts to arrange an exchange. Since June, diplomatic negotiations between the U.S. & Russia are ongoing. Although the Russian legal action against Griner has been deemed insignificant domestically, it is unlikely to prevent her from applying for a presidential pardon. Griner's fate rests largely in Russia's hands.