Brittney Griner at ‘weakest moment’ in Russian jail, her wife says
- Cherelle Griner said her wife is afraid of being forgotten by the US, she said in phone call she felt ‘like my life just doesn’t matter … Am I just nothing?’
- Brittney Griner, a WBNA, two-time Olympic gold medallist, was playing in Russia when police said they found vape canisters with cannabis oil in her luggage
WNBA star Brittney Griner is at her “absolute weakest moment in life right now” as she faces a hearing in Russia later this month for her appeal of a nine-year prison sentence for drug possession, Griner’s wife said in an interview aired on Thursday.
Cherelle Griner told CBS This Morning that her wife, a two-time Olympic gold medallist who was playing in Russia during the WNBA offseason, is afraid of being forgotten by the United States.
“She’s very afraid about being left and forgotten in Russia, or just completely used to the point of her detriment,” Cherelle Griner said. She said Brittney Griner told her in a phone call that she felt “like my life just doesn’t matter”.
“Like, y’all don’t see the need to get me back home? Am I just nothing?” Cherelle Griner quoted her wife as saying. It wasn’t clear when the call took place.
Brittney Griner was convicted on August 4 after Russian police said they found vape canisters with cannabis oil in her luggage at Sheremetyevo Airport in Moscow. Her defence lawyers said she had been prescribed cannabis for pain. The WNBA star said she had inadvertently packed them and had no criminal intent.
She is appealing her prison sentence; the hearing is scheduled for October 25. But Cherelle Griner said after that hearing, her wife could potentially be moved to a labour camp elsewhere in Russia.