NEW YORK (UNITED STATES), 29 May. (dpa/EP) –
WNBA players and union leaders have again called for the release of American player Brittney Griner from a Russian prison, just one hundred days after her entry into jail.
“Right now, on day 100 of BG’s wrongful arrest, we’re calling on everyone to use their platforms, no matter the size, to bring attention to his wrongful arrest, to get (his wife) Cherelle meet with President Biden and for our sister to come home,” the Women’s National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA) said in a statement.
When Griner was arrested in February, the WNBPA and those closest to the WNBA champion and two-time gold medalist tried to keep things quiet, fearing Griner would be treated as a political pawn.
However, the US State Department declared in early May that Griner was being held unfairly. His wife, Cherelle Griner, has been campaigning to meet with Biden.
“To athletes, of any age, skill level, team, sport or country: This is our teammate. As a member of our global sports community, we must stand up and unite to call for her release,” the WNBPA stated.
Several WNBA and NBA players tweeted about Griner on Saturday. “Brittney Griner has been illegally detained in Russia since February 17, 2022,” Kyrie Irving wrote. “I urge the White House to prioritize Brittney’s safe return home immediately! #WeAreBG,” he added.
Griner, 31, was arrested at an airport near Moscow after Russian authorities claimed she was carrying hashish oil vape cartridges. She could face 10 years in a Russian prison.
Many WNBA players compete overseas during the league’s offseason because foreign teams almost always pay better.
During Griner’s detention, US negotiators successfully secured the release of another imprisoned American in Russia, former Marine Trevor Reed, who was in his second year of a nine-year prison sentence. He was traded for Konstantin Yaroshenko, a Russian pilot serving a 20-year sentence in federal prison in Connecticut for conspiring to smuggle cocaine into the United States.