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For a minute there, things looked grim for WNBA superstar Brittney Griner when Russian authorities sentenced her to almost a full clip (nine years) behind bars. But luckily, the Biden administration was able to spring her from the bing much to the dismay of far-right white nationalists.
Since then, Britney Griner has been enjoying her freedom with her wife, Cherelle Griner. But yesterday (April 13), the 6 foot 9 Center for the Phoenix Mercury made a surprise appearance in New York City where she had a message for everyone facing the same circumstances she was forced to endure in Russia just last year. According to the New York Daily News, Griner appeared alongside the Reverend Al Sharpton during his National Action Network Women’s Luncheon convention at the Sheraton Hotel near Times Square. Griner thanked everyone for their support and expressed her gratitude to everyone in the room.
From the Daily News:
“It means everything to be here today,” she said in brief remarks after being introduced by Sharpton at his National Action Network convention at the Sheraton Hotel near Times Square. “Everyone in this room that came together, sent out every prayer, it reached me while I was there, and I just want to thank every single one of you here.”
But she didn’t stop there. Griner went on to reveal that she plans on taking on a new cause, which is to fight for Americans who unjustly end up in foreign prison systems and do what she can to ensure they return home.
“I want to continue to fight to bring home every American detained overseas,” she said. “We have to reunite all those families that are going through this really strange time, challenging time.”
Brittney Griner was detained for 10 months by Russian authorities after being found with a vile of cannabis vaping oil at a Moscow airport. Though it was obviously for personal use, a judge sentenced her to nine years in prison for “drug trafficking” after a speedy “trial.” It took a while but President Biden and his team was able to secure her freedom after months of negotiation with Putin and his peoples. Of course, ex-president/Russian puppet, Donald Trump, weighed in on the matter. He accused Griner of hating America (he would’ve never attempted to free her) after she was swapped for a Russian prisoner known as “The Merchant of Death” and sent home.
Now that she’s had time to decompress and get back into the flow of American life, Griner is ready to fight for Americans who find themselves in similar situations that would eventually end up being recreated on an episode of Locked Up Abroad. You kind of have to wonder if she’ll be getting her own episode of Locked Up Abroad at some point. Just sayin’.
What do y’all think of Brittney Griner’s new crusade for justice? Let us know in the comments section below.