Jun 29, 2022 - Sports

WNBA star Brittney Griner is "struggling" in Russia, wife says

Brittney Griner #42 of the Phoenix Mercury walks hand and hand with wife Cherelle Griner.

Brittney Griner walks hand and hand with wife Cherelle Watson. Photo: Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images

Brittney Griner's wife said Wednesday in an interview with the Rev. Al Sharpton that the WNBA star is "struggling" and feeling "terrified" as she remains held in Russian custody.

What she's saying: "Every second that goes by, BG is struggling," her wife, Cherelle Griner, told Sharpton on his SiriusXM radio show Wednesday. "She's struggling. She's there, terrified. She's there, alone."

  • "Everything about this is your big biggest nightmare, on top of the fact that BG is in a situation where this isn't even a trial. ... Nothing about this is justice," she added.
  • The National Action Network, a civil rights organization, posted the audio of the interview on YouTube.

Zoom in: Cherelle Griner told Sharpton she has received letters from the WNBA star in which she masks how scared she is, Insider reports.

  • "Because I am her person, she is always going to write persuasively to make sure I don't break because she knows I have all these things going on," Cherelle Griner said.
  • The basketballer told her in letters that she is "OK" and "holding on."
  • "I won't let them break me," Brittney Griner wrote in a letter, Cherelle Griner said.

The big picture: Cherelle Griner has called on President Biden to bring the WNBA star home after she was detained in February.

  • Russian authorities accused Brittney Griner of possessing vape cartridges with hashish oil, but U.S. officials said she was "wrongfully detained." Her detention in Russia was on Monday extended for another six months, per AP.
  • She faces potentially 10 years in prison if convicted on charges of large-scale transportation of drugs.

Go deeper: Brittney Griner's wife says U.S. embassy botched long-awaited phone call

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