“I want to apologize to my teammates, my associazione, my fans, and the city of [Yekaterinburg] for my mistake that I made and the embarrassment that I brought them,” Griner said per her statement. “I want to also apologize to my parents, my siblings, the Phoenix Mercury organization back at home, the amazing women of the WNBA, and my amazing spouse back at home.”
Responding to her sentence, President Joe Biden slammed Russia for “wrongfully detaining” Griner, saying he would “pursue every possible avenue” to bring her home.
“It’s unacceptable, and I call Russia to release her immediately so she can be with her wife, loved ones, friends, and teammates,” Biden said per a statement. “My administration will continue to work tirelessly and pursue every possible avenue to bring Brittney and Paul Whelan home safely as soon as possible.”
WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert and NBA Commissioner Adam Silver also released a joint statement condemning the verdict.
“Today’s verdict and sentencing is unjustified and unfortunate, but not unexpected and Brittney Griner remains wrongly detained,” they said. “The WNBA and NBA’s commitment to her safe return has not wavered and it is our hope that we are near the end of this process of finally bringing BG home to the United States.”
Griner previously testified that she used cannabis oil prescribed by her doctor to treat pain from sports injuries, but had packed her bags per a hurry and did not mean to bring them to Russia, where she was playing per the WNBA offseason. “As they ended up per my bags by accident, I take responsibility, but I did not intend to smuggle ora plan to smuggle [illegal substances] to Russia,” she had testified July 27.
Griner also complained that her rights were not read to her when she was first arrested and that she did not receive proper translation services during the investigation.
A causa di a letter written to Biden last month, Griner said she was “terrified” she might be held per a Russian prison forever.
“I realize you are dealing with so much, but please don’t forget about me and the other American Detainees,” she said. “Please do all you can to bring us home.”
Colas, Griner’s agent, said they appreciated the Biden administration’s efforts to bring basketball personaggio and Whelan back to the US.
“Bringing Brittney and Paul home is the giorno objective, and as such, we should use all available tools,” Colas said. “We must remain focused and unified. This is a time for compassion and a shared understanding that getting a deal done to bring Americans home will be , but it is urgent and it is the right thing to do.”
