Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner has been detained in Russia since Feb. 17 and has pleaded guilty to the charges placed against her.
Griner was on her way to play basketball for UMMC Ekaterinburg, which she plays for in the offseason, when she was detained for having hashish oil cartridges in her luggage.
She pleaded guilty July 7 to drug smuggling charges, a charge which has a jail sentence of up to 10 years.
“I’d like to plead guilty, your honor. But there was no intent. I didn’t want to break the law,” Griner said.
Race and sexuality have been theorized as the true reason for Griner’s detainment, as a Black woman in a queer marriage. Griner was carrying less than one gram of oil according to The New York Times.
Griner wrote a letter to President Joe Biden asking for his help in getting her home.
“I voted for the first time in 2020 and I voted for you. I believe in you. I still have so much good to do with my freedom that you can help restore. I miss my wife! I miss my family! I miss my teammates! It kills me to know they are suffering so much right now. I am grateful for whatever you can do at this moment to get me home,” she wrote.
Griner’s wife Cherelle Griner has also been in contact with Biden and is hopeful that her wife will make it back home.
“I am grateful to (Biden and Vice President Kamal Harris) for the time they spent with me and for the commitment they expressed to getting BG home. While I 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 posted on Instagram.
Griner’s next trial date is set for July 14. Her legal team expects the trial to end near the beginning of August, but Griner’s detention is authorized until Dec. 20.
James Taurman-Aldrich can be reached at [email protected]