Brittney Griner had short and sweet words of encouragement to her wife Cherelle as she’s going through her trial for drug possession in Russia. Brittney was asked if she had a message for her wife of three years during an interview with ABC News on Tuesday, July 26. She simply had encouragement, as her wife prepares to become a lawyer. “Good luck on the bar exam,” she said.
Besides wishing her well on the bar, Brittney also showed a photo that she has of her and Cherelle in her cell, while she awaits a verdict in her trial. The reporter interviewing her asked her how she’s doing as she’s in jail for her trial, and she said that she’s “Just waiting patiently” for the outcome and that she has “no complaints.”
Brittney, 31, is facing 10 years in prison is Russia for possession of marijuana, after being arrested in February. She plead guilty to possession when her trial began earlier in July. The WNBA star’s legal team had argued that she’d used the marijuana medicinally to help with pain sustained from her athletic career, per The New York Times. Her attorneys presented a medical marijuana prescription from her doctor as evidence.
The basketball player’s trial has become a major point of interest, as she was arrested shortly before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began. As her trial has gone on, she’s garnered tons of support stateside from major figures and athletes, including the likes of LeBron James, who’s been very vocal in the “Free Brittney” campaign. “For over 100 days, BG has faced inhumane conditions in a Russian prison and has been denied communications with her family and loved ones. As a decorated Olympian and member of an elite global sports community, BG’s detention must be resolved out of respect for the sanctity of all sport and for all Americans traveling internationally,” he wrote in a post calling for her to be released.
Brittney’s wife has also been incredibly outspoken, calling for President Joe Biden to do everything in his power to get her back. “He has that power. I’m just like, ‘Why are we not using it? Like, urgently, use it.’ We’re expecting him to use his power to get it done,'” she told ESPN in a May interview.