The Russian government has finally released WNBA star, Brittney Griner. US president Joe Biden announced earlier today that she will be returning home. It looks like the USA convinced Russia to release Brittney in exchange for arms dealer Viktor Bout. The government detained her in February when they caught her with vape cartridges with weed inside.
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
When she was arrested, the entire country went into a frenzy. She claimed that she didn’t know that cannabis was banned in Russia. Many NBA stars tried to call for more awareness as Russia refused to let Griner go. However, it seems like they finally agreed to it now. And to Brittney’s surprise, it seems like the country that she disliked helped her achieve freedom after all.
“Brittney Griner hates America” was trending after Griner’s arrest
You might wonder what was going on when “Brittney Griner hates America” was exploding on the internet in February. For those who don’t know, it seems like the Phoenix Mercury player angered many Americans when she made a shocking comment about the country’s national anthem.
According to AZ Central, Griner said that she did not want the USA’s national anthem to be played before the WNBA games. She said, “I honestly feel we should not play the National Anthem during our season. I think we should take that much of a stand. I don’t mean that in any disrespect to our country.”
“I’m not going to be out there for the National Anthem. If the league continues to want to play it, that’s fine. It will be all season long, I’ll not be out there,” Griner added. This was when Americans concluded that the WNBA star hated the country. It broke the internet when the Russian officials arrested her, as she had to depend on the country she “hated” to help her out.
Will Brittney Griner serve her prison sentence in the US after release from Russia?
The US government decided to send Viktor Bout the other away in exchange for Brittney’s return. The crimes she was charged with included possession of cannabis. That is also illegal in some states in the United States. Hence, does that mean she would have to continue serving her prison sentence in the US?
Brittney Griner is free and on a plane back to the United States.
She was released by Russia in 1-for-1 prisoner swap for arms dealer Viktor Bout, according to a U.S. official. pic.twitter.com/4yjLJRT3bD
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) December 8, 2022
Griner’s release even prompted people to demand the US government for ex-marine Paul Whelan’s release as well. There hasn’t been any news from the government about whether Griner would have to continue her sentence. What she did would have been illegal in some states in the US as well, but it hasn’t been revealed to the public just yet. We would have to wait for official confirmation.
