During a preliminary hearing on June 27, a Russian court extended WNBA player Brittney Griner’s detainment for a fourth time. According to the Associated Press, Griner will remain in custody for an additional six months. As such, the Phoenix Mercury player will remain in jail for the duration of her trial, which is set to begin on July 1.
The extent of Griner’s legal troubles has been messy from the start. In May, Russian news outlets reported that the government would release Griner in exchange for Viktor Bout, a Russian entrepreneur currently sentenced in the U.S. “Currently, talks are underway on exchanging Bout for Griner,” a source revealed. However, negotiator Roger Carstens declined to comment on the rumored deal, per Yahoo.
Following the news of Griner’s detention extension, fans took to social media to voice their support for the basketball player. “Free Brittney this is absolutely ridiculous,” one person tweeted. While another wrote, “This is so horrible. I feel so bad for her forreal. This is literally one of the top female athletes in the whole world.”
Nicki
