U.S. basketball participant Brittney Griner by no means misplaced hope throughout her close to 10-month detention in Russia, the Phoenix Mercury heart stated on Thursday at her first press convention since returning residence.
The two-times Olympic gold medallist was launched from one in every of Russia’s most infamous penal colonies in a high-profile prisoner trade with the United States late final yr after she was arrested in February 2022.
“I’m no stranger to hard times,” Griner stated throughout an emotional news convention.
“Just digging deep, honestly, you’re going to be faced with adversities throughout your life. This was a pretty big one.”
Griner was taken into custody at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport and subsequently convicted of narcotics possession and trafficking after she was discovered to have been carrying vape cartridges containing cannabis oil in her baggage.
She stated she was prescribed medical hashish within the United States for a continual harm and by no means supposed to interrupt the legislation. U.S. officers stated she was wrongly detained and was getting used as a political pawn amid more and more strained relations with Russia.
She thanked U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday for serving to negotiate her launch and stated pictures of her household helped her hold going whereas she was detained.
“I was aware of the efforts and everything that was going on,” stated Griner. “It made me have hope.”
Griner pledged to dedicate herself to bringing residence different Americans detained overseas and introduced she and the Phoenix Mercury would accomplice with Bring Our Families Home to champion the trigger.
Her launch prompted cheers from throughout the sports activities world and plenty of others.
But some Republican lawmakers have been fiercely important of what U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken known as a “one or none” deal that didn’t embody the discharge of former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan.
Former President Donald Trump, who was within the White House when Whelan was detained in late 2018, known as it “a ‘stupid’ and unpatriotic embarrassment.”
Asked if she felt guilt for getting residence, Griner stated it damage to know others have been dwelling within the circumstances she did and that she had a “no one left behind” mindset she attributed to her father, a veteran of the Vietnam War.
“If I could have went in and got them out or any of that, I mean, of course I would have,” stated Griner. “I hope that we – everyone – continues to bring awareness and fight to bring home everyone.”
The 32-year-old will start her tenth season with the Mercury when their season kicks off on May 19 and stated she’s going to by no means play overseas once more – as many within the WNBA do to earn further earnings – until it’s to characterize her nation on the Olympics.
Salaries within the WNBA path that of their male counterparts’ NBA.
“The whole reason a lot of us go over, you know, is the pay gap,” stated Griner, who signed a one-year deal to stick with the Mercury in February.
“I don’t knock any player that wants to go overseas and make a little bit of extra money. I’m hoping that our league continues to grow.”
The six-foot, nine-inch slam-dunking titan had clearly not misplaced her trademark humorousness, as she joked about returning to play with 40-year-old veteran Diana Taurasi, some of the embellished gamers within the league.
“I mean, who wouldn’t want to play with a walking fossil?” stated Griner.
“She’s going to kill me. No, I’m just so glad. I was really worried, honestly. Legit, I was worried – I thought that she was going to, like, retire on me.”
Source: www.anews.com.tr
