Brittney Griner speaks for the first time after her release from Russian prison… She reveals interesting information that the White House neglected to share.
Published on 17.12.2022
Brittney Griner, the WNBA player who was recently released from a Russian prison in a prisoner swap for an infamous Russian arms dealer, has spoken out for the first time since returning to the United States. United.
Last February, Griner was arrested at a Russian airport for possession of cannabis oil and has since been held in prison by the Russian Federation. In July, the basketball player pleaded guilty to the charges against her. In August, she was convicted and sentenced to nine years in prison.
On December 8, Griner was released from prison after the Biden administration agreed to trade Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout for the basketball star. However, the White House has come under fire for the exchange, which left behind US citizen and former Marine Paul Whelan. Whelan has been imprisoned on trumped-up charges in Russia since 2018 and is serving a 16-year sentence in a high-security prison.
On Friday, Griner wrote a lengthy statement which she posted on Instagram. In her statement, she mentioned Whelan and said the White House is “committed” to bringing him home.
Griner said, “It feels so good to be home! The last 10 months have been a battle at every turn. I dug deep to keep the faith and it was the love of many of you that kept me going. From the bottom of my heart, thank you all for your help. »
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She then thanked the people who helped her get home and stood up for her, including her wife, Cherelle, her family and her legal team.
Griner specifically thanked Joe Biden and his administration saying, “President Biden, you brought me home and I know you are committed to bringing Paul Whelan and all Americans home as well. I will use my platform to do whatever I can to help you. I also encourage everyone who played a role in bringing me home to continue their efforts to bring all Americans home. Every family deserves to be whole”.
Finally, Griner confirmed that she will return to play in the WNBA with the Phoenix Mercury this season.
