Brittney Griner Pleads Guilty In Russia, Gets Biden Note

Basketball player Brittney Griner has pleaded guilty to drug charges in a Russian courtroom. Before her plea, she received a note from President Joe Biden.

Griner hoped that admitting guilt would lead to a more lenient sentence in what experts believe to be an unfair trial. She confessed that she had mistakenly taken hashish oil into Russia because she had been in a rush when packing.

Griner’s legal team in Russia, Maria Blagovolina from the firm Rybalkin Gortsunyan Dyakin and Alexander Boykov from the Moscow Legal Center, stated, “Brittney sets an example of being brave. She decided to take full responsibility for her actions as she knows that she is a role model for many people.”

Considering the circumstances of the case, the small amount of the substance involved, and Griner’s positive contributions to global and Russian sport, the defense hopes that the court will consider her plea as a mitigating factor and not impose a severe sentence.

The attorneys anticipate that Griner’s trial will conclude in early August.

Griner has been held in Russia for over four months after authorities discovered small amounts of hash oil in vape pens in her luggage.

Rev. Al Sharpton, speaking on behalf of Griner’s team, said, “Brittney has admitted to making a mistake, and I hope the Russian authorities recognize that humbling act and respond with compassion.” Sharpton, Griner’s wife Cherelle, and WNBA players plan to hold a rally in Chicago on Friday to demand her release.

There are concerns that Griner, who could face a maximum sentence of 10 years, is being used as leverage by Moscow in response to the fallout from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“She is currently fighting for her life, which is why we’ll be in Chicago to show our support for Brittney and for the administration’s efforts to bring her home as soon as possible,” Sharpton emphasized. “We must all continue to pray that she finds strength during this challenging time.”

Griner pleaded guilty one day after Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris called Cherelle Griner to assure her that the administration is working to secure the basketball star’s release.

This call occurred after Cherelle Griner criticized Biden for not meeting with her to discuss the case.

As Griner arrived in court on Thursday, she received a note from Biden, which he had previously read to her wife over the phone.

The message was a response to a letter Griner had written to the president on July 4, appealing for her freedom.