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Cherelle Griner: Brittney Griner's wife BEGS for WNBA star’s release, thanks fans for support

Brittney's arrest comes amid severely strained diplomatic relations between the US and Russia due to the country’s invasion of Ukraine

The Russian Federal Customs Service on Saturday, March 5, said its officials had detained an American basketball player, identified as Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner on drug charges. Her arrest comes amid severely strained diplomatic relations between the US and Russia due to the country’s invasion of Ukraine. 

Cherelle Griner, wife of WNBA All-star Brittney says she is in "one of the weakest moments of my life" over Brittany’s three-week detention in Russia. Cherelle took to Instagram on Saturday, March 5 and wrote: "Thank you to everyone who has reached out to me regarding my wife’s safe return from Russia." Cherelle also thanked the two-time Olympic gold medal winner and seven-time WNBA star Brittney's fans for their encouragement, saying: "Your prayers and support are greatly appreciated."

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She continued: "I love my wife wholeheartedly, so this message comes during one of the weakest moments of my life. I understand that many of you have grown to love BG over the years and have concerns and want details. Please honor our privacy as we continue to work on getting my wife home safely." Brittney, 31, was detained for allegedly having vape cartridges containing oil derived from cannabis in her luggage at the Sheremetyevo airport near Moscow. If convicted on drug-smuggling charges, the two-time Olympic champion could face 5 to 10 years in Russian prison.

Who is Brittney Griner's wife Cherelle Griner?

Brittney married Cherelle Watson, 28, in June of 2019. Cherelle has taken up Griner's last name according to her Instagram. The pair became engaged in August 2018 after reportedly meeting while attending the same college: Baylor University in Texas. She majored in political science and government while minoring in family and child studies. Cherelle is apparently in her last year of law school at the University of North Carolina School of Law. Brittney was married once before in 2015 to WNBA star Glory Johnson. The pair divorced after less than three months together.

Although Russian media alleged that Brittney was detained as a "preventative measure", details surrounding her detention still remain unclear. Texas Congressman Joaquin Castro, commenting on Brittney's 3-week detention tweeted, "I'm closely monitoring reports of Texan @brittneygriner's detention in Russia. This follows a pattern of Russia wrongly detaining & imprisoning US citizens, including Trevor Reed. US citizens are not political pawns. Brittney, Trevor, and other Americans must be safely returned." 

The State Department recently issued a "do not travel" advisory for US citizens thinking of heading to Russia and urged all US citizens to leave immediately as the conflict between Russia and Ukraine escalates.