Phoenix Mercury star Brittney Griner pleaded guilty days ago to bringing hashish oil into Russia, and part of this strategy was to help facilitate a prisoner swap to bring Griner home. It was also a recognition that she almost certainly would not have been acquitted, so the guilty plea moves the ball forward. She faces up to 10 years in prison for large-scale transportation of drugs.

Now, former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson is planning to travel to Russia to try to work out a deal to free Griner and bring her home, per ABC News. Richardson is expected to go to Moscow in the next couple of weeks.

ESPN has more details on Richardson and how he can help free Brittney Griner:

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The former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Richardson has a long history of working to free Americans wrongfully detained overseas. He most recently played a role in a prisoner exchange that saw Russia release former U.S. Marine Trevor Reed after nearly two and a half years in captivity.