The conversation about the Brittney Griner situation and what the United States government is doing to get the WNBA star back from Russia has reached a true fever pitch. Five months after she was initially detained in Russia, Griner remains there and is currently standing trial in a system that provides “no presumption of innocence,” according to legal experts.
Meanwhile, Griner’s family, friends, and supporters have been mounting pressure on the U.S. government to get her home by any means necessary (something that Russia might be counting on). They’ve been joined by advocacy groups, media members, and big-name coaches in the push to get Brittney home. Griner herself has even reached out to President Joe Biden to ask for help.
You can add Phoenix Mercury coach Vanessa Nygaard to the list of vocal supports. The WNBA head coach offered up a damning question in regards to the speed at which Griner’s retrieval has moved.
“If it was LeBron, he’d be home, right?” Nygaard asked, via USA Today. “It’s a statement about the value of women. It’s a statement about the value of a black person. It’s a statement about the value of a gay person. All of those things. We know it, and so that’s what hurts a little more.”
The White House classified Griner as “wrongfully detained” back in May and has made it clear their priority is to get her back to the United States. Experts have long said that the situation is trickier than people want to accept because the more Vladimir Putin knows that the U.S. wants Griner back, the more he’s going to want in return for releasing her.
ESPN investigative reporter T.J. Quinn, who has covered the story from the beginning, said in June that this is all political theater for Russia and there’s a nuance involved that is likely impossible for those who support Griner to accept.
Would the U.S. be doing anything differently if it were LeBron James in that jail instead? Perhaps. But you could also make the case that if LeBron were in a Russian prison, the asks in return for his release might be even worse. It’s impossible to know for sure, but what we do know is that Griner’s situation is terrible and everyone wants her home as soon as possible.
[ USA Today]
