Background Circle Background Circle
Brittney Griner being held in Russia after airport security allegedly finds vape cartridges

Brittney Griner being held in Russia after airport security allegedly finds vape cartridges

WNBA All-Star Brittney Griner was arrested last month at a Moscow airport after Russian authorities said a search of her luggage revealed vape cartridges.

The Russian Customs Service said Saturday that the cartridges were identified as containing oil derived from cannabis, which could carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. The customs service identified the person arrested as a player for the U.S. women’s team and did not specify the date of her arrest. Russian media reported the player was Griner, and her agent, Lindsay Kagawa Colas, did not dispute those reports.

“We are aware of the situation with Brittney Griner in Russia and are in close contact with her, her legal representation in Russia, her family, her teams, and the WNBA and NBA,” Kagawa Colas said Saturday. “As this is an ongoing legal matter, we are not able to comment further on the specifics of her case but can confirm that as we work to get her home, her mental and physical health remain our primary concern.”

On Saturday, the State Department issued a “do not travel” advisory for Russia because of its invasion of Ukraine and urged all U.S. citizens to depart immediately, citing factors including “the potential for harassment against U.S. citizens by Russian government security officials” and “the Embassy’s limited ability to assist” Americans in Russia.

Griner, who plays for the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, has played in Russia for the last seven years in the winter, earning over $1 million per season — more than quadruple her WNBA salary. She last played for her Russian team UMMC Ekaterinburg on Jan. 29 before the league took a two-week break in early February for the FIBA World Cup qualifying tournaments.

More than a dozen WNBA players were playing in Russia and Ukraine this winter, including league MVP Jonquel Jones and Courtney Vandersloot and Allie Quigley of the champion Chicago Sky. The WNBA confirmed Saturday that all players besides Griner had left both countries.

The 31-year-old Griner has won two Olympic gold medals with the U.S., a WNBA championship with the Mercury and a national championship at Baylor. She is a seven-time All-Star.

“Brittney Griner has the WNBA’s full support and our main priority is her swift and safe return to the United States,” the league said in a statement.

Read more:

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Says The Black Vote Will Not Be Free This Year

Stacey Abrams Receives Backlash After Claiming Sexual Assault Allegations Against Joe Biden Were ‘Not Credible’

Source link

Related Posts
Flight Attendant Fired By JetBlue After She Claimed She Was Being Held In Jamaica Against Her Will Led to International Scandal
Flight Attendant Fired By JetBlue After She Claimed She Was Being Held In Jamaica Against Her Will Led to International Scandal

Collier allegedly was ordered to quarantine for 14 days by the island’s Ministry of Health and Wellness, according to the Read more

ICYMI: Samuel L. Jackson Once Held Martin Luther King Jr.’s Father Hostage During A Campus Protest
ICYMI: Samuel L. Jackson Once Held Martin Luther King Jr.’s Father Hostage During A Campus Protest

Actor Samuel L. Jackson admits he was enraged after the killing of Martin Luther King Jr. The April 4, 1968 Read more

Amanda Gorman Says A Security Guard Followed Her Home Because She ‘Looked Suspicious’
Amanda Gorman Says A Security Guard Followed Her Home Because She ‘Looked Suspicious’

The 23-year-old has had quite a run of recent accolades. Since January, she's topped Amazon's book charts, performed a poem Read more

Tyler Perry Offered Both A Home And Security To Meghan And Harry And Twitter Is Having A Bit Too Much Fun With It
Tyler Perry Offered Both A Home And Security To Meghan And Harry And Twitter Is Having A Bit Too Much Fun With It

Tyler Perry has been thrust into the spotlight following the revelation that he aided Meghan Markle and Harry Windsor after Read more

‘This Is Beyond Bullying’: Texas Teen Allegedly Bullied By Middle School Students
‘This Is Beyond Bullying’: Texas Teen Allegedly Bullied By Middle School Students

A investigation is underway by Plano, Texas police department and school district are looking into shocking allegations of bullying and Read more

Holly Robinson Peete Calls Out Sharon Osbourne For Allegedly Calling Her ‘Ghetto’ And Getting Her Fired From ‘The Talk’
Holly Robinson Peete Calls Out Sharon Osbourne For Allegedly Calling Her ‘Ghetto’ And Getting Her Fired From ‘The Talk’

Peete initially responded to the original tweet noting that it was not okay for someone to defend racists.The question is Read more

Louisiana Teacher Facing Battery Charge After Allegedly Trying To Remove Black Lives Matter Hoodie From Student
Louisiana Teacher Facing Battery Charge After Allegedly Trying To Remove Black Lives Matter Hoodie From Student

A teacher in Louisiana is facing a battery charge for allegedly trying to remove a Black Lives Matter hoodie from a ninth-grade Read more

NBA Legend Patrick Ewing Says Madison Square Garden Security Accosted Him: ‘Everyone In This Building Should Know Who The Hell I Am’
NBA Legend Patrick Ewing Says Madison Square Garden Security Accosted Him: ‘Everyone In This Building Should Know Who The Hell I Am’

NBA legend and Georgetown University head coach Patrick Ewing said he was accosted by security guards at Madison Square Garden Read more

Is Vladimir Putin The Richest Man In The World?
Is Vladimir Putin The Richest Man In The World?

The leader of Russia, and arguably the most powerful man on the planet, but the real question remains, is Vladimir Read more

Willow Smith Granted Restraining Order Against Sex Offender Who Allegedly Tried Breaking Into Her Home
Willow Smith Granted Restraining Order Against Sex Offender Who Allegedly Tried Breaking Into Her Home

Willow Smith recently secured a temporary restraining order against a man who has allegedly been stalking her online. A private Read more

Romeo Miller says California police held him at gunpoint until they recognized him
Romeo Miller says California police held him at gunpoint until they recognized him

Romeo Miller says police held him at gunpoint until they realized who he was after he was pulled over near Read more

Video Shows Black Army Lt. Held at Gunpoint and Pepper Sprayed During Traffic Stop
Video Shows Black Army Lt. Held at Gunpoint and Pepper Sprayed During Traffic Stop

WINDSOR, Va. — A second lieutenant in the U.S. Army is suing two Virginia police officers over a traffic stop Read more