It’s been 85 days since Mercury center and two-time Olympic gold medalist, Brittney Griner, was originally detained in Russia.
As each day passes, the American public becomes more worrisome about the fate of one of their own.
Griner’s lawyer, Alexander Boykov, told the Associated Press that her pre-trial detention was extended for a month.
“We can expect that the final charge will be brought on soon and the case will be sent to court,” Boykov said.
Boykov also added that he “did not receive any complaints about the detention conditions from our client.”
State Department spokesman Ned Price explained that Griner has made contact with the U.S. Embassy in Moscow and that she’s “doing as well as can be expected in these circumstances.”
Griner was detained in February in an airport just outside of Moscow after cannabis-derived vape cartridges were allegedly found in her luggage.
The potential drug smuggling charges could mean up to 10 years in prison.
“Today’s news on Brittney Griner was not unexpected, and the WNBA continues to work with the U.S. government to get BG home safely and as soon as possible,” the WNBA’s statement read.
While the Biden Administration considers Griner as being ‘unlawfully detained,’ the basketball world is calling for more visible action.
Following a recent prisoner exchange between Russia and the U.S., which brought back former Marine Trevor Reed, there’s hope that Russia could be interested in a similar exchange for Griner.
A center led by former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Bill Richardson, which has helped secure the release of multiple hostages and detainees, is now on the case as well.
In the meantime, anecdotes like this from Griner’s Phoenix teammate in Brianna Turner remind us to keep making a positive impact, because that’s what BG would do:
Stick with Sports360AZ for continued updates regarding this situation.
Eliav Gabay
