Brittney Griner May Never Come Home! CNN Says Getting Her Back Will Be "Real Difficult"

8 Mar 2022 #brittneygriner #brittneygrinerrussia
Brittney Griner May Never Come Home! CNN Says Getting Her Back Will Be "Real Difficult"

It'll be 'very difficult' to get detained US basketball star Brittney Griner out of Russia, lawmaker says

#brittneygriner #brittneygrinerrussia #brittneygrinerjail

A member of the US House Armed Services Committee said "it's going to be very difficult" to get Griner out of Russia.

"Our diplomatic relationships with Russia are nonexistent at the moment," Democratic Rep. John Garamendi of California told CNN on Monday.

"Perhaps during the various negotiations that may take place, she might be able to be one of the solutions. I don't know."

He also noted that "Russia has some very, very strict LGBT rules and laws" -- though it's not clear whether those rules and laws might impact Griner's case.

But the Biden administration is working on trying to get Griner out of Russia, members of the Congressional Black Caucus said after meeting with President Joe Biden on Monday.

"The best news we got today was that they know about it and that she's on the agenda," Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, who represents Griner's hometown of Houston, Texas, told reporters.

Noting a potential 10-year-sentence for Griner, Jackson Lee added: "We know about Britney Griner, and we know that we have to move on her situation."

Hundreds petition for Griner's release
More than 1,000 people have signed the "Secure Brittney Griner's Swift and Safe Return to the U.S." petition on Change.org.

Journalist Tamryn Spruill, who covers women's basketball, started the online petition Saturday.
"Griner is a beloved global citizen who has used her platform since her entry into the WNBA to help others," Spruill wrote on the petition's web page.

"Griner was in Russia for work: playing for UMMC Ekaterinburg, where in 2021 she helped the team win its fifth EuroLeague Women championship."

Spruill explained why many female professional basketball players in the US work overseas. "Like many athletes competing in the WNBA, Griner plays abroad during the WNBA offseason because her salary is exponentially higher in other countries," Spruill wrote.

"For WNBA players, that means playing abroad, while NBA rookies who haven't played a professional game yet are handed salaries many-times higher that what title-winning, All-Star designated WNBA veterans could ever hope for," the petition says.

"These realities are not the fault of the players. They simply want to be paid their worth like their male counterparts, and they do not deserve to be entangled in geopolitical turmoil for doing so."
'There are no words to express this pain'

Griner's wife described the agony of waiting in an Instagram post on Monday.
"People say 'stay busy.' Yet, there's not a task in this world that could keep any of us from worrying about you. My heart, our hearts, are all skipping beats everyday that goes by." Cherelle Griner wrote.
"There are no words to express this pain. I'm hurting, we're hurting."

On Saturday, she thanked supporters in a post and asked for privacy.
"I understand that many of you have grown to love BG over the years and have concerns and want details," Cherelle Griner wrote. "Please honor our privacy as we continue to work on getting my wife home safely."
But Griner's fate remains unclear.

A criminal case has been opened against the US citizen arrested, Interfax reported, citing Russia's customs service.

A spokesperson for the US State Department said the agency is "aware of reports of a US citizen arrested in Moscow."

"Whenever a US citizen is arrested overseas, we stand ready to provide all appropriate consular services," the spokesperson told CNN on Saturday.
CNN has reached out to Griner's representative for comment.

Her high school basketball coach, Debbie Jackson, remembers Griner as an athlete with determination and grit.

But Jackson told CNN she worries Griner's case will be used for political purposes.

"My biggest fear is that ... she will become a political ," Jackson said.
Playing in Russia for years