America-hating Brittney Griner is nearing one hundred days of a very valuable lesson. Namely, the country she hates so much isn’t that bad after all.
Griner, imprisoned since February on charges of illicit possession of cannabis products in Russia, faces up to ten years in a foreign prison.
As the months go by and neither hyped-up media coverage nor a meeting with the most forgettable Secretary of State in history, Anthony Blinken, has moved the chains downfield, Cherelle Griner is initiating a full-court press to have Brittney returned home. Appearing on ABC’s Good Morning America, wife Cherelle made a desperate plea to President Joe Biden to have him circumvent Russian law and have her wife brought back to the United States.
This was Cherelle’s first public appearance and statement about the ongoing saga, which finally came about, according to host Robin Roberts, as a result of the Biden White House reclassifying her status as being “wrongfully detained.” Prior to that, she suggested she was afraid of speaking up and creating more problems for her detained spouse.
Asked why she was not calling on Joe Biden to step in, Cherelle noted she needed answers,
“I just keep hearing that he [Biden] has the power. She’s a political pawn. So if they’re holding her because they want you to do something then I want you to do it.”
During the interview, Robin Roberts then comments that in addition to Biden intervening, Cherelle has also already spoken to the Secretary of State on the matter. He said it was a top priority to help out.
In response, Cherelle only said:
“I don’t know; I was grateful for the call. You say she’s a top priority, but I want to see it…
At this point, I don’t even know who I’m getting back when she comes back.”
I don’t blame Cherelle for making the media rounds to get her wife home. Good for her for exhausting all available resources. Of course, it helps that Griner is a notable celebrity; even during the interview, Robin Roberts points out that a few military servicemen have been detained in Russia for years without a successful release. If Griner needed another example of privilege, she need not look further than her own shadow.
And as much as I don’t envy her situation, one can’t help but think that this was avoidable. Had she followed Russian law, which she must have known about, this would be a non-story, and she’d be in the comfort of her fancy-looking home in Phoenix. But, of course, it might not be a story if Joe Biden’s corruption in Ukraine were such a sticking point during the prolonged conflict with Russia.
Naturally, though, Robin Roberts could help avoid placing blame where it belongs and point out how the evil patriarchy is somehow responsible for Griner’s detention. Instead, she asks about pay equity between men and women with a straight face and how equal pay could have prevented Griner from seeking basketball gigs abroad.
Cherelle only replied that “she can’t make enough money in the WNBA to sustain her life.” I saw their home in the interview; she doesn’t need to play overseas. More likely, and as was pointed out during the sit-down, Griner enjoyed the attention and adoration of Russian fans and media.
The full interview, lasting roughly six minutes, can be seen here.
