Brittney Griner has had a rough last few years, especially off the WNBA court. She spent 10 months in a Russian prison after being caught with vape cartridges at an airport. The problem with them was the fact that these said cartridges contained hashish oil, a banned substance in the country. Without being offered an opportunity to explain herself, Griner was slammed behind bars. It is no secret that the Russian government doesn’t play about when it comes to these matters.
Moments ago I spoke to Brittney Griner.
She is safe.
She is on a plane.
She is on her way home. pic.twitter.com/FmHgfzrcDT— President Biden (@POTUS) December 8, 2022
The US government, led by President Joe Biden, managed to secure Griner’s release but it did come at a cost. The United States had to release Viktor Bout, a Russian who was imprisoned in America. Many protested against this decision and pointed out that Griner wasn’t worth all the effort.
Brittney Griner will have a memoir published next year https://t.co/MOBB7qw87p pic.twitter.com/FWmNUqPIUV
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) April 11, 2023
Griner is set to publish a memoir on May 7, 2024. She hopes to share her story of hope and survival, as she mentioned in a statement at the time of the announcement. Ahead of the release, Griner recently delivered an interview which will send chills. The Phoenix Mercury star said to ABC News, “They made me write this letter. It was in Russian. I had to ask for forgiveness and thanks from their so-called great leader. I didn’t want to do it, but at the same time I wanted to come home.”
She didn’t mention who the leader was, but it was certain that the Russian government took major offense to the fact that she was traveling with marijuana. Even in the US, the substance is banned in some states, but Griner pleaded her innocence by claiming that she had no idea that it was banned in Russia as well.
Brittney Griner considered committing suicide while in Russian prison
Along with that, she also mentioned, “I wanted to take my life more than once in the first weeks. I felt like leaving here so badly.” Understandably, she considered going to such extremes, as spending time behind bars is not an easy feat. Moreover, she was in a foreign country and must have had no hope of her release at the time.
When she was arrested, the entire sporting world aimed to raise awareness about the case. This included the likes of LeBron James and Steph Curry, who spoke about the WNBA player on their platforms and helped to be informative about the matter.
Phoenix Mercury star was left baffled after learning Paul Whelan’s release wasn’t secured
Paul Whelan is a former US Marine who is currently imprisoned in Russia. His name was a talking point when Griner was released. Fans protested and questioned why Whelan wasn’t released while Griner’s safety was secured pretty quickly. Even Griner was appalled to see that Whelan was not going back to his country.
She said, “I walked on and didn’t see him, maybe he’s next. Maybe they will bring him next. They closed the door and I was like, are you serious? You’re not going to let this man come home now.”
She also mentioned that if it was up to her, she would have decided to go with the prisoner swap with Viktor Bout, but would have secured the release of Whelan, who has been behind Russian bars since December 2018.
Griner has been through a rollercoaster of a ride in the last year or so. She has been in a foreign country’s prison, without any hope of returning to her loved ones, all while dealing with heavy criticism from fans. Her memoir is sure to inspire those who have the opportunity to read it, as it seems to be her intent.