By Tadi Abedje

NABJ Black News & Views

On the day her drug trial was to resume in Russia, Brittney Griner on Thursday pleaded guilty to cannabis possession, according to numerous news reports.

The move could see Griner, a center for the Phoenix Mercury and Olympic gold medalist, facing up to 10 years in prison.

Griner admitted to bringing cannabis into Russia, but also said she packed in a hurry and had no intention of breaking the law, NPR reported.

The development came amid an escalation of protests about her detainment and heightened communication with the White House.

Griner, 31, has been detained in a Moscow-area facility since February for alleged cannabis possession. Griner, like several other WNBA stars, plays for a Russian basketball team during the WNBA’s off season because the pay is much higher.

President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden wrote a letter to Griner this week after receiving a handwritten note from her pleading with the president not to forget her or other detainees. The president also telephoned Griner’s wife, Cherelle Griner, to reassure her that U.S. officials were committed to working to bring Griner home.

“The president offered his support to Cherelle and Brittney’s family, and he committed to ensuring they are provided with all possible assistance while his administration pursues every avenue to bring Brittney home,” the White House said in a statement.

Griner’s trial officially started last week but was pushed back until this week after two witnesses failed to appear. Griner faces up to 10 years in prison in Russia if convicted, but even if she is acquitted, she will remain in detention in Russia for months because a Russian court extended her detention to Dec. 20th. One of the greatest concerns for Griner’s family, friends and supporters is that Russia has a more than 99 percent conviction rate.

The case has drawn attention to the treatment of Black women overall and in the world of professional basketball. Griner was in Russia because – like several other WNBA players – she plays for a much higher salary with a Russia team during the WNBA off season.

Cherelle Griner told the Rev. Al Sharpton, a New York-based activist, during his radio show last week that officials are expressing support for Griner, but she is seeing no steps toward Griner being released. Early on after Griner’s arrest, U.S. officials suggested that drawing attention to Griner’s case might make her more of a pawn in tensions between the United States and Russia. But last week, Griner’s wife said it was time to raise the volume on the push for Griner’s release. That increase precipitated the outreach from the White House.

Cherelle Griner posted her gratitude for the new attention to her Instagram account. Wednesday.

“While I will remain concerned and outspoken until she is back home, I am hopeful in knowing that the president read my wife’s letter and took the time to respond,” she wrote. “I know BG will be able to find comfort in knowing she has not been forgotten.”

Last week, Cherelle Griner told Sharpton she and her wife’s supporters intend to be relentless about pressing for her release. 

“We’re never going to shut up about this until she’s back,” she said. “We’re never going to allow them to take their precious time because every second that goes by, BG is struggling.”

Also last week, a close friend of Griner’s dating back to high school spoke at a prayer vigil for Griner in front of the Russian Consulate in New York.

“We already know that she still has six months no matter what,” Janell Roy, a friend who refers to Griner as her sister, told a crowd of about 30. 

She said she routinely texted daily with Griner and that Feb. 17, 1:55 p.m., marks the last time she received a text from Griner, who told Roy she was afraid.

“I kept texting her, ‘Are you OK? Are you OK?’ And I never got a response back,” Roy explained, voice breaking, saying that Griner’s lawyer later called her to tell her what happened.

“You stay somewhere that long, it messes with your mental health.”

Janell Roy, longtime friend of Brittney Griner

“For everybody else, (Feb. 17) seems like one day; for me, Feb. 17 was the last day that I talked to my sister,” Roy continued. “I haven’t been in communication with her. I haven’t been able to talk to her. And it hurts. You think about something like that, your best friend, your sister. I knew her on Feb. 17 as a person. Who she comes out as when she leaves Russia, I don’t know who she is. You stay somewhere that long, it messes with your mental health. It changes you.”

Feb. 17 is the day Griner was arrested at a Moscow airport after Russian authorities alleged they found vape cartridges with hashish oil in her luggage. If convicted, Griner could face up to 10 years in prison for  large-scale transportation of drugs. According to The Associated Press, less than one percent of defendants in Russian criminal cases are acquitted.

The State Department has classified her as “wrongfully detained.”

“We have no higher priority than the safety and security of U.S. citizens overseas,” the State Department said in an email. “The U.S. government will continue to provide appropriate support to Ms. Griner and her family. We will continue to ​press for her release.”

Griner’s lawyer, Alexander Boykov, could not be reached.

There have been calls from WNBA and NBA players, celebrities and other athletes for President Biden to bring Griner home – all under the umbrella of the #WeAreBG campaign. Perhaps, the person most impacted by the ongoing situation is Cherelle Griner, who told Sharpton, . She said “It’s gut wrenching that I can’t give my wife justice.”

Cherelle Griner continued, “I haven’t had a moment to be able to really know how she’s doing and because I’m her person, she’s gonna always try and write persuasively to make sure I don’t break because she knows I’m studying for my bar and she knows I have all these things going on.”

Cherelle Griner added, “She’s not okay but she’s trying her hardest to make sure that she makes it back home to me and the rest of our family.”

Griner says it’s important that the public press the White House and the U.S. government to bring her wife home.

“The only justice in this situation of being wrongfully detained is for our government to execute this deal,” Cherelle Griner said.

Roy, speaking at the New York prayer vigil, echoed Cherelle Griner’s sentiments, saying, “The only thing we’re asking as a family is that the administrations come together and work out something to let my sister come home.”

Griner has played with UMMC Ekaterinburg, a Russian women’s basketball team based in Siberia, since 2014. With the Russian team, she earns over more than $1 million per season – more than quadruple her WNBA salary.