In the handwritten letter, which the family says has been handed over to the White House, basketball player Brittney Griner addresses US President Biden directly. US news quotes from it. While she’s in Russian prison, Griner writes, without the protection of her wife, her family, or the jersey of the US Olympic team, she’s afraid she’ll never get out.
Griner was arrested at a Moscow airport in February. She plays pro for Phoenix Mercury in the WNBA. Some US women basketball players play abroad, for example in Russia, during the season break of the league – including Griner.
Customs officials found cannabis oil in their luggage at the airport. At the start of the trial in Moscow last week, prosecutors determined that the cartridges were for Griner’s personal use. Nevertheless, she tried to smuggle prohibited substances across the border. You face up to ten years in prison.
Newspapers and television in the USA report on the case from time to time. But it must always be an issue until she comes home, Griner’s teammate Sophie Cunningham demanded in an interview with the Los Angeles Times. – If it were regarding male stars like LeBron James or Tom Brady, the story would make headlines every day, says Cunningham
