U.S. congressman Colin Allred (D-Texas) is reportedly working with the State Department to secure the release of Brittney Griner from Russian authorities, according to ESPN’s Mechelle Voepel.
Griner has been detained in Russia since Feb. 17 after the Russian Federal Customs Service found vape cartridges containing hashish oil in her luggage at Sheremetyevo International Airport near Moscow. Allread, who played football at Griner’s alma mater, Baylor, noted differences in the Russian criminal justice system as obstacles standing in the way of the WNBA star's safe return to the U.S.
“My office has been in touch with the State Department, and we’re working with them to see what is the best way forward,” Allred said. “I know the administration is working hard to try and get access to her and try to be helpful here ... The Russian criminal justice system is very different than ours, very opaque. We don’t have a lot of insight into where she is in that process right now. But she’s been held for three weeks now, and that’s extremely concerning.”
Allred, who is also a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, referenced two other cases in recent years of Americans being detained in Russia. In both instances, the individuals being held were former Marines who received lengthy prison sentences and disputed the charges pressed against them.
“This is not the first time in recent years that an American has been detained and then held either without reason or without a sufficient kind of explanation,” Allred said. “What’s obviously different here is that Brittney is an extremely high-profile athlete, and it’s happening during the course of a Russian-begun war in Ukraine, in which we are deeply opposed to what they’re doing.”
Allred played football at Baylor from 2001 to ’05, and later spent four seasons in the NFL with the Titans. His focus now remains on getting Griner out of Russia safely, and as soon as possible.
“I’m sure her lawyer in Russia is working through the process. But every day for anyone being held, particularly being held overseas, is a lifetime,” Allred said. “I recognize that for her friends and family, this must be incredibly difficult time. And for her, I’m sure the uncertainty about what’s happening is probably just terrible. And so, hopefully, whatever happens, we can get this moving quickly and get her out.”
