NFL
By: Zachary Draves
After ten months and 294 days of agonizing anguish, deteriorating despair, and unbelievable uncertainty, WNBA legend Brittney Griner has been officially released from Russia due to a one for one prisoner exchange as confirmed by President Joe Biden.
(Courtesy: Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
She was in the midst of serving a nine year sentence due to being convicted on drug smuggling charges and being subsequently transferred to a penal colony where she would have been subjected to forced labor and other forms of brutal treatment.
In exchange for Griner, the US will return notorious arms dealer Viktor Bout, known as the “Merchant of Death” back to Russia after he was sentenced to 25 years in prison for conspiracy to kill Americans. A notable exception to this swap was US Marine Paul Whelen who has also been detained in Russia since 2018 on espionage charges.
President Biden, in his announcement of Griner’s release on Thursday, said to reporters that “We have not forgotten about Paul Whelan. This was not a choice of which American to bring home.”
“Sadly, for totally illegitimate reasons, Russia is treating Paul’s case differently than Brittney’s, and while we have not yet succeeded in securing Paul’s release, we are not giving up.”
The news of Griner’s release was welcomed by Whelen’s family. As confirmed by CBS News, his brother David said “I am so glad that Brittney Griner is on her way home. The Biden Administration made the right decision to bring Ms. Griner home, and to make the deal that was possible, rather than waiting for one that wasn’t going to happen.”
Speaking before reporters at the White House, Griner’s wife Cherelle expressed gratitude and relief at this huge development.
“It’s just a happy day for me and my family,” she said. “I’m gonna smile right now.”
(Courtesy: Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)
In addition, she also expressed support for Whealen and other Americans who are held captive abroad.
This news brings much needed solace to all of Griner’s supporters who have been relentless in their push to secure her release ever since she was originally detained in Russia back in February due to possession of cannabis oil followed by her conviction in August and her appeal denied in October.
Her case was front and center throughout the entirety of this past WNBA season as players, coaches, fans, and Commissioner Cathy Engelbert did everything they could from posts on social media, to placing her initials and number on all 12 courts, to wearing t-shirts and sweatshirts with her name and likeness, to hosting press conferences, and to giving her special honors such as the WNBA All Star Game in July.
(Courtesy: Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
The WNBPA released the following tweet after receiving the news.
WNBPA Statement about Brittney Griner's release.#WeAreBG pic.twitter.com/u2icvVN5Jd
— WNBPA (@TheWNBPA) December 8, 2022
She was not forgotten and that persistence would eventually find its way into other sports leagues such as the NBA and NWSL as they would take up Griner’s case in similar fashion.
(Courtesy: Jim Davis/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
Her case has shined a spotlight on many different issues such as the issue of pay disparity in women’s basketball that has compelled Griner and other WNBA players to go abroad to supplement their income, Russia’s horrific record on LGBTQ+ rights, Russia’s draconian drug laws, and the plight of American citizens such as Paul Whealen that are held up in hostile countries.
Victoria York, Director of Public Policy and Programs of the National Black Justice Coalition and as well as a regular contributor to NBS throughout this entire case, says that because of Griner’s release, it doesn’t necessarily mean that others will automatically follow suit in freeing prisoners. In the meantime, she does give a warning to Americans about traveling to other countries.
“Research has shown that prisoner swaps do not lead to more Americans being wrongfully detained,” she said. “However, Americans should visit the U.S. State Department’s website before traveling abroad to learn of the risks present in the countries – especially LGBTQ+ people who can be arrested or killed for showing affection in some countries. “
A notable presence during this entire saga was the sustained grassroots advocacy of black women that kept Griner’s name visible. York was an integral part of that effort as she and NBJC was in regular contact with the State Department from the get go. She gives credit to many prominent black women leaders and spoke to how this case among others is metaphorical for how lives of black women have been continually undervalued leaving black women to take up the mantle.
(Courtesy: Sophie Hurwitz)
“Jotaka Eaddy and the #WinWithBlackWomen network, Kiera Johnson of the National Black Justice Coalition, Imani Rupert-Gordon of the National Center for Lesbian Rights, Ashland Johnson of Inclusion Playbook, Black Feminist Future, media guru Karen Finney, Vice President Kamala Harris, and so many other Black women and organizations rose to the occasion early to support Brittney Griner’s release from wrongful detainment in Russia,” she said.
“Black women have long championed equality and justice for all. Since the WNBA’s push to arrest the cops that killed Breonna Taylor in 2020, the world has seen us more assertively champion ourselves. We have learned that too often if we don’t come to our rescue, no one else will.”
She also gave credit to Reggie Greer, an openly gay black man and former White House Advisor turned LGBTQ Envoy for the State Department, who changed positions during the height of Griner’s plight and ensuring that the she and the rights of LGBTQ+ people would be prioritized on a global level.
The full scope of the geopolitical ramifications of this historic deal remain to be seen especially considering the legitimate danger that Bout possesses and given the current state of affairs with Russia and the invasion of Ukraine. Also Paul Whelan’s name shouldn’t be forgotten by any measure. However, with that in mind, the release of Brittney Griner is something to savor and celebrate.
(Courtesy: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
Persistence has paid off and the hashtag #FreeBritneyGriner is no longer a hashtag but a reality.
