Brittney Griner spoke today for the first time since being released from a Russian penal colony.
“It feels so good to be home! The past 10 months have been a struggle at every turn. I dug deep to keep my faith and it was the love of so many of you that kept me going. From the bottom of my heart thank you all for your help,” the WNBA star wrote, posting photos of herself getting off a plane and also hugging her wife Cherelle in what appears to be an airplane hangar.
The Olympic gold medalist was arrested at Moscow airport on February 17 after he was found to be in possession of two vape cartridges containing marijuana oil, a substance banned in Russia.
She was released last week in a prisoner swap for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout. There were critics of the exchange who questioned whether the exchange should have included US Marine Paul Whelan. Griner handled Whelan’s case.
“President Biden, you brought me home and I know you are determined to bring Paul Whelan and all Americans home too,” she wrote. “I will use my platform to do what I can to help you. I also encourage everyone who helped bring me home to continue their efforts to bring all Americans home. Every family deserves to be whole.”
Griner also thanked her wife, Vice President Harris, Secretary Blinken, the entire Biden-Harris administration and “Casey Wasserman and my entire team at Wasserman.” Griner is represented at Wasserman by Lindsay Kagawa Colas, who also thanked her personally. Kagawa Colas worked to maintain public pressure to bring Griner home.
Here is Griner’s full statement:
It feels so good to be home! The past 10 months have been a struggle at every turn. I dug deep to keep my faith and it was the love of so many of you that kept me going. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for everyone’s help.
I am grateful to everyone who stood up for me, especially my wife Cherelle Griner, my family, Lindsay Kagawa Colas and Casey Wasserman and my entire team at Wasserman, Vince Kozar and Phoenix Mercury, the players of the WNBA and my entire WNBA family, Terri Jackson and the WNBPA staff, my Russian legal team Maria Blagovolina and Alex Boykov, the leaders, activists and grassroots organizations, Governor Richardson and Mickey Bergman of the Richardson Center, the Bring Our Families Home campaign, Roger Carsten and SPEHA team, and of course, a special thank you to President Biden, Vice President Harris, Secretary Blinken and the entire Biden-Harris administration.
President Biden, you brought me home, and I know you are determined to bring Paul Whelan and all Americans home, too. I will use my platform to do what I can to help you. I also encourage everyone who helped bring me home to continue their efforts to bring all Americans home. Every family deserves to be whole.
As I go home to enjoy the holidays with my family, I would like to express my appreciation and gratitude to the entire PISA staff and medical team at the San Antonio Fort Sam Houston base. I appreciate the time and care taken to ensure I am safe and equipped with the tools for this new journey.
I also want to make one thing very clear: I plan to play basketball for the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury this season and I look forward to saying “thank you” to those of you who have personally advocated, written and posted.
love always
BG #42
Author: Tom Tick
Source: Deadline
Joseph Fearn is an entertainment and television aficionado who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a keen eye for what’s hot in the world of TV, Joseph keeps his readers informed about the latest trends and must-see shows.
