Barry Gossage/NBAE via Getty Brittney Griner
Brittney Griner’s wife is sending a message to the WNBA athlete as she remains in detention in Russia.
In an Instagram post on Monday, Cherelle Griner shared a selfie Brittney took with what appeared to be the couple’s family. Alongside the image, Cherelle wrote, “We love you babe! People say ‘stay busy.’ Yet, there’s not a task in this world that could keep any of us from wondering if you are safe.”
“My heart, our hearts, are all skipping beats every day that goes by without hearing from you,” continued Cherelle. “I miss your voice. I miss your presence. You’re our person! There are no words to express this pain. I’m hurting, we’re hurting. We await the day to love on you as a family.”
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Brittney, 31, has been detained by Russian authorities for almost a month after vape cartridges believed to contain hash oil were allegedly found in her luggage. She has been charged with smuggling “narcotic drugs” into the country, according to a Russia Federal Customs Service statement. The two-time Olympic basketball champion faces five to 10 years in prison if convicted.
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The athlete was in the country because she spends her offseasons from the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury playing for the Russian team UMMC Ekaterinburg.
Over the weekend, Cherelle had thanked Brittney’s supporters in another post on her Instagram page featuring a smiling shot of the two sitting on a beach.
“Thank you to everyone who has reached out to me regarding my wife’s safe return from Russia. Your prayers and support are greatly appreciated,” she wrote in the caption. “I love my wife wholeheartedly, so this message comes during one of the weakest moments of my life.”
Cherelle added, “I understand that many of you have grown to love BG over the years and have concerns and want details. Please honor our privacy as we continue to work on getting my wife home safely. Thank you!”
Also on Saturday, during a press conference, Texas Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee demanded Brittney’s release. Lee said she has contacted the U.S. State Department “to try and get them to focus on her circumstances.” The 18th district representative noted “how dangerous it is right now in Moscow,” and “in Moscow prisons” especially, as protesters are arrested by the thousands as they oppose the conflict waged in Ukraine by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
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“It is no place for her,” Lee said, later adding that her main concern is “to be helpful to ensure that while she is there, she can be appropriately cared for,” similar to other U.S. detainees.
“Please, allow Miss Griner to leave. Allow her legal representation to handle her matters,” Lee said.
