Brittney Griner holds up photos from inside a cage in the courtroom.Photo: Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP/Shutterstock
Brittney Grineris thinking about her loved ones while detained in Russia.
While speaking toABC Newson Tuesday during her hearing for drug charges, 34-year-old Griner had a message for her wife, Cherelle.
“Good luck on the bar exam,” Griner said in the message to Cherelle, whograduatedfrom North Carolina Central University School of Law in May. Cherelle started the intensive, two-day exam to become a practicing lawyer Tuesday.
Griner told ABC News that she is “waiting patiently” while in custody but has “no complaints.” During the hearing, she held up a sign that included a photograph of her and Cherelle.
The Phoenix Mercury center was arrested at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo International Airport in February after officialsallegedly foundvape cartridges containing hash oil, an illegal substance in Russia, in her luggage.
Griner’s trial began on July 1in Russia, and on July 7 she pleaded guilty to smuggling drugs into the country. According to ABC News, she is expected to testify in court on Wednesday after her initial testimony was delayed at the request of her legal team to provide her with more preperation time.
According toGood Morning America,about 99 percent of those arrested on drug charges in Russia serve a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.
Earlier this month, Griner’s lawyers told the court that the Phoenix Mercury centerhas a doctor’s noteapproving cannabis for pain treatment.
“The attending physician gave Brittney recommendations for the use of medical cannabis. The permission was issued on behalf of the Arizona Department of Health,” Maria Blagovolina, one of Griner’s attorneys, said during the hearing on Tuesday, theAssociated Pressreported.
Because of “the nature of her case, the insignificant amount of the substance and BG’s personality and history of positive contributions to global and Russian sport,” the team is hopeful that her plea will help the athlete avoid a “severe sentence,” her lawyers said.
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Last week during the 2022 ESPYs, NBA starStephen Curry, along with WNBA stars Skylar Diggins-Smith and Nneka Ogwumike, asked “the entire global sports community” to “stay energized on [Griner’s] behalf.”
“Because Brittney isn’t just on the Phoenix Mercury, she isn’t just on her team in Russia, she isn’t just an Olympian,” Curry said during the broadcast. “She’s one of us, a team of athletes in this room tonight and all over the world. A team that has nothing to do with global conflict.”
He continued: “We can not stop fighting for her, we cannot stop believing for her, and we will not stop hoping for the day we can welcome her home safely.”
source: people.com
