First time, WNBA star brittany griner Will talks in detail about his nearly 10-month-long Russian detention in an interview, highlighting the harsh prison conditions and the athlete’s reaction to being jailed for possessing vape cartridges containing cannabis oil.
Griner, 33, spoke candidly and often became emotional as she recalled her experience inside a Russian penal colony during an upcoming interview. 20/20,
Wearing a suit and with her hair cut short, Griner tearfully told interviewer Robin Roberts that she was often scared during detention “because so much is unknown.”
Brittany Griner is led out of the courtroom after a hearing in Khimki, just outside Moscow, Russia, on August 4, 2022.
AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko
Griner reportedly decided to cut his long hair while in Russian custody. his lawyer said Grineer’s hair will freeze When she was kept in the penal colony when she was wet.
The nine-time WNBA All-Star entered Russia on February 15, 2022, to play for team UMMC Ekaterinburg during her off-season. He Arrested Russian customs officials said they found a vape cartridge of hashish oil, which is derived from cannabis, in her luggage at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport.
Grineer pleaded guilty for drug possession, although she said she brought cannabis oil into the country unintentionally.
He sentenced to nine years in prisonBut released on December 8, 2022 as part of prisoner swap for Russian arms dealer viktor bout,
In the trailer for the upcoming interview, Griner recalls the moment she realized she was carrying a vape canister at a Moscow airport.
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“My life is over here,” Griner remembered thinking.
Brittany Griner sits inside a cell after a court verdict during a hearing in Khimki, outside Moscow, on August 4, 2022.
Evgenia Novozenina/Pool/AFP via Getty Images
Discussing the conditions he faced during his detention, Griner said that there was a “huge blood stain” on the mattress in his cell.
The athlete also said that there was no soap or toilet paper available to him.
“That was the moment I felt less than a human being,” Griner said.
Griner admitted that he suffered some suicidal thoughts while in Russian custody.
“I didn’t think I would be able to accomplish what I needed to accomplish,” Griner said through tears.
Griner says she had never brought marijuana into Russia before her arrest. Although he has in the past answered selective questions about his time in Russian custody 20/20 The special will feature Griner’s first, in-depth interview about the experience.
His 2022 detention sparked international concern for his well-being among LGBTQ2 advocates because Griner, who is a lesbian, was jailed in a country where authorities have often been hostile toward gay and lesbian people. Griner’s wife Cheryl Griner created passionate plea Griner was scheduled to return home during his 10-month detention, and met with US President Joe Biden ahead of a prisoner swap with Russia.
ABC reported 20/20 There will also be special facilities Interview Griner’s wife Cherelle, with Griner’s agent Lindsay Kagawa Colas and Roger Carstens, the special presidential envoy for hostage affairs.
Griner returned to professional basketball in May 2023 and continued her career with the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury team.
This month, Griner and Cherelle announced they are expecting their first child in July 2024.
“Can’t believe we’re less than three months away from meeting our favorite person,” Cherelle wrote on Instagram with the hashtag #BabyGrinerComingSoon.
Griner’s Hour 20/20 The interview, titled “Prisoner in Russia: The Brittney Griner Interview,” will air May 1 at 10 p.m. ET on ABC.
She is also releasing a memoir, titled coming homeWhich will be available on 7th May.
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