WASHINGTON (AP) – The Biden administration has determined that WNBA star Brittney Griner is being unfairly held in Russia, meaning the United States will work more aggressively to secure her release even if the lawsuit is against her, two US officials said on Tuesday.
Griner was arrested at an airport in February after Russian authorities said a search of her bag found vape cartridges containing cannabis-derived oil. Since then, US officials had stopped classifying the Phoenix-Mercury player as wrongly imprisoned, saying instead they were focused on ensuring she had access to American consular affairs officers while in prison.
Now, however, US officials have shifted oversight of their case to a branch of the State Department — the Office of the President’s Special Envoy for Hostage Affairs — which focuses on negotiations for the release of hostages and other Americans deemed wrongfully detained in other countries are .
“Brittney has been incarcerated for 75 days and we expect the White House to do whatever is necessary to bring her home,” said Griner’s agent Lindsay Kagawa Colas.
WNBA Players Union President Nneka Ogwumike noted in a separate statement that “for the past 75 days, our friend, teammate and sister Brittney Griner has been unjustly detained in Russia.”
“It’s time for her to come home,” Ogwumike added. “Having learned that the U.S. government has now determined that BG is being wrongly imprisoned, we hope their efforts will be significant, swift and successful.”
It was unclear what led to the change in approach to Griner’s case, although President Joe Biden’s administration had been pressured by members of Congress and others to make her release a priority.
The US last week secured the release of Marine veteran Trevor Reed as part of a prisoner swap that also resulted in a convicted Russian drug trafficker being released from US prison
Alongside Griner, Paul Whelan, another American wrongly imprisoned in Russia, is believed to be a corporate security executive from Michigan who was arrested in December 2018 while attending a friend’s wedding and later on charges of espionage to 16 Years in prison says his family are wrong.
ESPN first reported the classification in Griner’s case. Two US officials confirmed this on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to speak about it by name.
Meanwhile, the WNBA announced Tuesday that it would honor Griner with a floor badge and allow the Mercury to pay her without counting against the team’s cap. The decal will feature Griner’s initials, BG, as well as her #42.
All 12 teams will have the sticker on their home pitches beginning with Friday night’s season opener. The Mercury open their season tonight at home against the Las Vegas Aces.
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Associated Press writer Doug Feinberg in New York contributed to this report.