Many sports fans including celebrities have been using social media to share their public support for WNBA star Brittney Griner who has been held by Russian authorities for more than 100 days. Tory Lanez is now the latest entertainer to call on the U.S. government to bring the detained athlete home safely.
In a Monday tweet, Lanez said: “Yoooo we gotta get Brittney Griner OUTTA JAIL YO ….. WTF !?!??? Why are we not talking about this !!!” One fan responded to Lanez and said, “Cause it ain’t nothing for us to do, they already requested to free one of theirs for her, talk to the president 🤷🏽♂️” to which he responded, “that’s crazy cuz that means that they not gone let her outta jail unless someone Russian gets released …. What if they want the release of someone with way more severe charges WTF 😳”
Concerns continue to rise as a Russian court recently extended her detention. The US basketball star who has been held in Russia since February on accusations of drug smuggling — will remain in Russian custody through at least July 2.
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What Happened To Brittney Griner?
The seven-time WNBA All-Star and two-time WNBA Defensive Player of the Year, remains in Russian custody after being detained in February at Sheremetyevo International Airport. The Russian Federal Customs Service claims to have found vape cartridges containing the marijuana concentrate hashish oil in Griner’s luggage. The U.S. government has since rallied to Griner’s defense, declaring her “wrongfully detained” on May 3 and reportedly enlisting the help of former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Bill Richardson, who has several years of experience as an international hostage negotiator.
“The Department of State has determined that the Russian Federation has wrongfully detained U.S. citizen Brittney Griner,” a State Department spokesperson told ESPN. “With this determination, the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs Roger Carstens will lead the interagency team for securing Brittney Griner’s release.”
The WNBA has remained supportive of Griner throughout her detainment. In a June 2 report from the AP, it was said that Griner has received hundreds of emails and letters from players around the league. So far, her email has not been released to the public, but the WNBA Players’ Union has shared it with members through text messages.
“She jokes in her letters. I don’t know how she does it with what she’s going through. She’s an amazing soul,” said Los Angeles Sparks forward Amanda Zahui B., one of many WNBA players who’ve communicated with Griner during her detainment. “She brings light in a situation like this. I don’t think a lot of people could manage to do that.”
Aside from this, Brittney Griner’s wife, Cherelle Griner, spoke about the situation in a May “Good Morning America” interview. Cherelle Griner said the two haven’t verbally communicated in over 100 days. However, traded letters “sporadically” in the time since. Cherelle has since called on President Biden to
help with Brittney’s release.