Brittney Griner's wife Cherelle 'distraught' after BLUNDER botches call to WNBA star in Russia
What would have been a joyful virtual reunion for WNBA all-star Brittney Griner and her wife, Cherelle Griner, turned into hurt for the couple. The 31-year-old player was arrested at a Moscow airport in February, 2022, when Russian authorities claimed she had cannabis oil and accused her of smuggling significant amounts of a narcotic substance, an offense punishable by up to 10 years in prison. A Moscow court recently extended Brittney’s detention until July 2. It was the third time her detention has been extended, Russian state-run media TASS reported.
Cherelle was told how the WNBA star tried to connect over 11 times on their fourth anniversary on June 18 but the US embassy’s desk in Russia wasn’t staffed over the weekend and so the call could not be patched through. This would have been the first opportunity for the couple to speak in more than four months since the basketball player was detained by Russian authorities. "I find it unacceptable and I have zero trust in our government right now. If I can’t trust you to catch a Saturday call outside of business hours, how can I trust you to actually be negotiating on my wife’s behalf to come home? Because that’s a much bigger ask than to catch a Saturday call,” she said. Cherelle further stated that a contact in the US government later apologized to her for the error as the number given to Brittney to dial typically processes calls from prisoners on Mondays through Fridays but not weekends, which is why no one was present to transfer the call.
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In response to the embassy's apology, she told the Associated Press, “But mind you, this phone call had been scheduled for almost two weeks — with a weekend date.” She expressed her agony by saying, “This was such a big moment because this would have been the first time where I truly could tell if she’s OK. This would have been the first time for me to actually just hear her in real time and to truly know if she’s okay or to know if she’s seconds away from not being in existence anymore.”
“I was distraught. I was hurt. I was done, fed up,” Cherelle shared recounting how she ended up crying because of this snafu. “I’m pretty sure I texted BG’s agent and was like: ‘I don’t want to talk to anybody. It’s going to take me a minute to get my emotions together and just tell everybody I’m unavailable right now. Because it just knocked me out. I wasn’t well, I’m still not well.”
On the other hand, Lindsay Kagawa Colas, Brittney's agent too showed her distress through a tweet on June 20. She wrote, "Imagine the heartbreak. 123 days w/out hearing her voice. Holding out hope for a call. Finally getting that call, just to have it keep ringing. My heart breaks into pieces every time I think of it - but it’s nothing compared to the reality BG and her family are enduring. #WeAreBG"
Imagine the heartbreak. 123 days w/out hearing her voice. Holding out hope for a call. Finally getting that call, just to have it keep ringing. My heart breaks into pieces every time I think of it - but it’s nothing compared to the reality BG and her family are enduring. #WeAreBG https://t.co/XsaSxYmtdK
— Lindsay Kagawa Colas (she/her) (@kagawacolas) June 21, 2022
Brittney Greiner prisoner swap
A US State Department official told CNN in May that Brittney has been officially classified as "wrongfully detained.” Supporters, including the player’s family and the WNBA, have advocated for her release, with some expressing concern that Moscow would use her as a political weapon amid tensions over Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
As per the latest reports, Brittney will remain in Russian custody at least till July 2, after a Russian court extended her detention. This comes after a report in May claimed that Brittney has been rumored to be potentially involved in a detainee swap involving Viktor Bout, who is in the middle of a 25-year sentence in federal prison after he was convicted of conspiracy to kill Americans relating to the support of a Colombian terrorist organization. Fox News revealed that Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov made the comment about this swap but there was no further information. Later this month, Russian officials stated they will not consider Brittney for a prisoner swap with the US "until a court investigation into her case is completed."