On the day president Joe Biden awarded the Medal of Freedom to 17 recipients, more pressing international matters loomed over the ceremony—Brittney Griner’s detention status.
Megan Rapinoe, one of the medal recipients, paid tribute to the WNBA star with her outfit for the ceremoney, which she shared on her Instagram story. On the lapel of her jacket, “BG” is threaded with a flower. Rapinoe wrote “the most important part of today” and “BG We Love You” on her story.
Griner pleaded guilty to drug charges in a Russian court on Thursday, and been detained since February after she was taken into custody at an airport near Moscow for allegedly carrying vape cartridges with hashish oil in her luggage. The Mercury center told the judge on Thursday, according to Reuters, that “there was no intent. I didn’t want to break the law.”
“I’d like to give my testimony later. I need time to prepare.”
The WNBA star is due back in court on July 14, and she will remain in custody throughout the duration of the trial. ESPN’s T.J. Quinn said that the guilty plea is a strategy, a move that was “expected.” At the core of this are negotiations between the United States and Russia concerning a possible prisoner swap.
Quinn tweeted Thursday, “There was a recognition that she will have to admit guilt before Russia agrees to a deal to send her home. Pleading now, it was thought, would get that out of the way and possibly help move negotiations forward.” The U.S. government feels that Griner has been “wrongfully detained.”
Griner penned a letter to Biden, which Quinn shared excerpts of this week. In part, she wrote, “As I sit here in a Russian prison, alone with my thoughts and without the protection of my wife, family, friends, Olympic jersey, or any accomplishments, I’m terrified I might be here forever.”
