WNBA star Brittney Griner has been in custody in Russia for more than a month, but very little is known about her incarceration for allegedly being in possession of vape cartridges with cannabis oil.
And the low-key coverage of one of the United States’ most popular female athletes being held by a hostile authoritarian regime has some wondering why there isn’t greater focus on bringing Griner home.
“If a Top-5 men’s player in the world had been detained in Russia right now - for any reason - it would be getting more urgent coverage,” ex-NBA star Rex Chapman said in a tweet.
Sports journalist Aditi Kinkhabwala listed Griner’s many honours on the basketball court, adding: “Take that resume and imagine she played in the NBA.”
Griner’s arrest for drug possession at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport some time in early February was made public several weeks later in a report in Russian media.
Since then there has been little information released on her wellbeing, where she is being held, the exact date of her arrest and potential charges she may be facing.
Her wife Cherelle Griner has said diplomatic efforts to free the 2.06m two-time Olympic gold medalist are continuing behind the scenes, and has requested privacy.
“I understand that many of you have grown to love BG over the years and have concerns and want details,” Cherelle Griner said in an Instagram post.
“Please honour our privacy as we continue to work on getting my wife home safely.”
“There are no words to express this pain. I’m hurting, we’re hurting,” she said in a separate post.
“We await the day to love on you as a family.”
Part of that secrecy is due to fears her arrest may be used as a bargaining chip by Vladimir Putin after his unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.
ESPN journalist TJ Quinn said news of Griner’s arrest was being deliberately downplayed by diplomats and those close to her to avoid her becoming part of a propaganda war with the West.
“If Putin or someone in his government decides to make an example of her then she becomes a hostage instead of a criminal defendant,” he said in a series of posts on Twitter.
“As a 6-9 Black gay American woman, she’s a powerful cultural symbol, and experts worry that Putin would use her a a cautionary tale of American decadence. This is why everyone around her is trying to keep it low key.”
Author and CNN contributor SE Cupp said Griner’s race and sexual orientation meant she would face even greater legal jeopardy in Russia.
“She’s a woman, a (person of colour) and LGBTQ. Russia will use their own awful, barbaric laws against her in their courts. We must all fight for Brittney Griner’s release.”
Friends from the basketball community have expressed doubt that Griner would have been carrying cannabis cartridges.
“So much of it doesn’t make any sense to me that I find it hard to believe that this is really the true thing that happened,” Griner’s high school basketball coach Debbie Jackson told the New York Times.
