What Did Brittney Griner Do? Is the WNBA Star Still in Russia?
What in the world did Brittney Griner do? And where is she right now?
During her time in the WNBA, Brittney Griner developed herself to be one of the most popular athletes in the country, even when NBA players are considered.
Sure, her basketball ability was the factor that gave her all the fam initially. But as time went on, the woman really started to get famous because of this little moment.
A loud-mouth individual like her would be impossible to miss by the media’s eye… and yet we haven’t heard much of anything from the woman in recent times.
So, the question remains- What did Brittney Griner do, and where is she right now?
What did Brittney Griner do?
Well, Brittney Griner chose to opt out of life as a WNBA star.
The League’s low salary cap which has long been a topic of discussion, pushed Griner over the edge, as she decided to sign for Russian powerhouse, UMMC Yekaterinburg.
This is a professional women’s basketball team in Russia paying the big bucks to acquire the best from around the world.
Griner was reportedly set to earn $1 million during this time, more than quadruple what she was getting in the WNBA. But then, disaster struck.
On February 17th, as soon as she arrived at the Moscow Airport, the 31-year-old was arrested under the charges of carrying vape cartridges that carried hashish oil, a substance banned in Russia, despite its legality in certain states of the USA.
During this time, Brittany Griner and her lawyers decided to plead guilty before explaining their case in order to gain some sympathy from the judge.
Unfortunately, that’s where the second part of all this bad news starts from.
Where is Brittany Griner now?
Despite 9 months having passed since the arrest of Brittany Griner in Russia, the former WNBA star remains incarcerated in the country as of the time of writing.
The maximum sentence for crimes related to drug trafficking has been revealed to be 10 years in Russia. And while Griner, fortunately, avoided the worst possible sentence, she was still saddled with 9 years in prison.
Lawyers have tried to argue to the court that she was using cannabis and hashish oil on doctor’s recommendations to ease the pain from injuries. But, with that solution clearly proving useless, Joe Biden and the US government have gotten involved. And still, the situation refuses to budge.
Experts now believe that the US may have to swap a high-profile Russian arms dealer, who has been in their custody, with a sentence of 50 years, something sources say, the higher-ups are mulling over.
Frankly, setting a man whose nickname is quite literally ‘The Death Merchant’ free isn’t a very uplifting decision to make. But, at the same time, the government can’t just abandon Brittney Griner.
We’d recommend you keep an eye on this one.
Also Read: Is Kyrie Irving Playing Tonight vs Pelicans? Latest Availability Update on Nets Point Guard
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