Brittney Griner’s Detention Extended Until May 19, Her Wife Says ‘There Are No Words To Express This Pain’

“The court granted the request of the investigation and extended the period of detention of the US citizen Griner until May 19,” the court said, per TASS.

Since her detention in Russia, U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner’s legal team has seen her several times, and according to a source close to the situation who spoke to CNN, she is doing well.

According to Russian state news agency TASS, a Moscow court announced it extended the arrest of Grinder until May 19. “The court granted the request of the investigation and extended the period of detention of the US citizen Griner until May 19,” the court said, per TASS.

During the third week of March, the Russian Federal Customs Service stated that it had detained a U.S women’s national basketball team player at Sheremetyevo Airport near Moscow after customs officials found cannabis oil in a vape pen the woman had in her carry-on bag (though they disclosed she was stopped at the airport in February). Griner was later identified as the player by a Russian news outlet.

Hillary Clinton called for Griner’s release on Wednesday, tweeting an article on Griner with the caption “Free Brittney.”

Griner was in Russia to play for EuroLeague team UMMC Ekaterinburg, where she had worked since 2014 during the U.S. off-season. Many sports journalists and fans have pointed out that Griner’s male counterparts do not have to take second jobs during off-season to supplement their income, and if compensated equally, perhaps Griner wouldn’t be in this situation.

“If this was an NBA [professional men’s league] player of her [caliber] … this would be on the cover of not only every sports page but every news media page in the world,” sports journalist Tamryn Spruill told the BBC. “If she were Steph Curry or LeBron James, she wouldn’t be over there at all because she’d be making enough money.”

Griner’s wife, Cherelle, posted a heartfelt message on Instagram that included the statement “My heart, our hearts, are all skipping beats everyday that goes by. I miss your voice. I miss your presence. You’re our person! There are no words to express this pain. I’m hurting, we’re hurting.”

We are following this story and looking forward to Griner’s safe return.


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