Amid a flurry of calls to free WNBA star Brittney Griner from detainment in Russia, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have finally spoken with Griner's wife, Cherelle.
Herbie Ziskend, the Vice President's Senior Advisor for Communications, shared a press release detailing the conversation. It reads that Biden's administration is pursuing “every avenue to bring Brittney home” and that the administration will remain in contact with the Griners as they work to bring Brittney back home.
READOUT: @POTUS – joined by @VP – spoke to Cherelle Griner, wife of Brittney Griner. pic.twitter.com/d7ukCh9vKS
— Herbie Ziskend (@HerbieZiskend46) July 6, 2022
As she goes through her trial in Russia, Brittney Griner penned a letter to Biden asking to free not just herself but all American detainees in the country. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre confirmed that he has read it. The six-time WNBA All-Star has been detained since February 17th, when she was caught with hashish oil at the Sheremetyevo International Airport near Moscow.
Shortly before her conversation with the president, Cherelle went on CBS to reveal that she had not heard from the Biden administration despite the numerous requests from herself and others. Now that the administration has made contact with the Griner family, the next course of action is to find a way to get Brittney out of Russia, though there is no telling how long that will take.
Brittney Griner is a member of UMMC Ekaterinburg, a Russian team that also rosters WNBA players Emma Meesseman, Courtney Vandersloot and Kayla McBride. Many have pointed out that Griner's situation is because WNBA does not pay its athletes enough.
The basketball world has frequently requested Biden to bring Brittney Griner back home. NBA stars LeBron James, Chris Paul and Ja Morant and WNBA stars like Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi have voiced their pleas. Until the day she is brought back, those calls to action will not go away, especially from Griner's peers in the WNBA.
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