Earlier today, Phoenix Mercury star Brittney Griner saw her appeal of a nine-year prison sentence for drug smuggling get rejected by a Russian court. The news, while expected, was unsettling for WNBA players and beyond as today marked the 250th day Griner has been imprisoned (the United States has declared her wrongfully detained).
University of South Carolina's head coach Dawn Staley tweeted in support of Griner,“#FreeBrittneyGriner 250 days and more expected bad news with the upholding of @brittneygriner sentence. I’m a firm believer in God and will lean in stronger. On our worse day he does he best work. Love you BG. HOLD ON! #WeAreBG”
#FreeBrittneyGriner 250 days and more expected bad news with the upholding of @brittneygriner sentence. I’m a firm believer in God and will lean in stronger. On our worse day he does he best work. Love you BG. HOLD ON! #WeAreBG pic.twitter.com/V3JQShI8Ja
— dawnstaley (@dawnstaley) October 25, 2022
Seattle Storm forward Breanna Stewart has been posting every day for months asking for the United States government to push hard for Griner's release. The two played together in Russia for UMMC Ekaterinburg, a popular destination for WNBA players due to its high pay. No WNBA players are playing in Russia this season due to concerns about their safety.
It has been 250 days since our friend, Brittney Griner, has been wrongfully detained in Russia. It is time for her to come home. @WhiteHouse @potus @vp , we are paying attention and we are counting on you. #WeAreBG
— Breanna Stewart (@breannastewart) October 25, 2022
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken didn't mince his words when finding out about the court's decision to uphold Griner's prison sentence.
Today's denial of appeal for Brittney Griner is another failure of justice, compounding the injustice of her detention. Russia is wrongfully detaining Brittney, and nothing about her conviction or the denial of this appeal changes that. Securing her release is our priority. https://t.co/K6VnqFROra
— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) October 25, 2022
Author and podcaster Roxanne Gray tweeted in support of Griner, saying, “She cannot be forgotten.”
Other WNBA players were taken aback by the news such as Washington Mystics guard Natasha Cloud, who tweeted, “I’m sick about BG.” Phoenix Mercury guard Diamond DeShields, who played against Griner in the 2021 WNBA Finals, Brittney Griner's last appearance in the WNBA to date, tweeted, “……I wanna throw up.”
The Biden Administration has continuously said it is trying to work with Russia to negotiate a prison swap but, according to T.J. Quinn of ESPN, Russia does not want to give Biden and the Democratic Party a political win ahead of midterms this November.