(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Basketball player Brittney Griner has broken her silence regarding her time spent incarcerated in a Russian jail after being busted for possessing marijuana.
Griner admitted to grappling with thoughts of suicide and expressed remorse for her stint in jail, which concluded with an exchange involving Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, infamously dubbed the “Merchant of Death.”
The former basketball star, infamous for her previous anti-American activism, made these remarks during an hour-long interview on ABC News’s 20/20 with host Robin Roberts.
Brittney Griner was emotional recounting her detainment in Russia. pic.twitter.com/3xXE2SozmI
— ESPN (@espn) May 2, 2024
“You said that you felt that you let down yourself, your family, your teams—so how did you work through what you called this guilt that you were feeling,” Roberts asked Griner.
Seemingly taken aback by the question, Griner took a deep breath and rested her arm on her chin.
“I don’t think I really… gotten through all the way that… I let down everybody in my family,” Griner replied, visibly emotional. “I’m still trying to take through that part.”
Later in the interview, Roberts brought up the subject of Griner contemplating suicide.
Responding to the query, Griner admitted, “Yeah… I didn’t think I could get through what I needed to get through.”
Griner garnered national attention after being jailed at a Russian airport in February 2020 for possessing a marijuana-laced electronic cigarette, thus violating Russian law. At the time, she was competing in the Russian Premier League.
Subsequently, she was sentenced to nine years in prison, a term she would serve for only 10 months as President Joe Biden negotiated her release in exchange for Bout.
Bout had been serving a 25-year sentence in federal prison for his conspiracy to kill Americans, including government officials and civilians.
The conspiracies involved selling millions of dollars worth of weapons to terrorist groups, who then utilized these weapons in attacks against Americans, the Obama DOJ said in 2011.
The exchange between the U.S. and Russia sparked controversy, particularly as Griner had previously protested against the U.S. National Anthem by kneeling during its rendition.
Such acts are often employed to protest allegations of systemic racism within the U.S. “Do you still want to boycott America?” controversial podcast host Alex Stein asked Griner at an airport.
Since the @WNBA is writing press releases about me…here is a snippet of my interaction with Brittney Griner today….
Watch the Full Video on my YouTube Channel Sunday Morning 10am Centralhttps://t.co/fe07WOHjct pic.twitter.com/FEnp8Vll6d
— Alex Stein #99 (@alexstein99) June 10, 2023
Upon her return from Russia, Griner made a 180 degree reversal, stating she would no longer protest the national anthem.
Griner is currently promoting her forthcoming book, Coming Home. Her 20/20 interview is set to premier on Friday.
Britney Griner talking on the podium discusses about whether it felt differently when the National Anthem hit.#ValleyTogether#WNBA pic.twitter.com/G0TUMJUPG4
— Burn City Sports (@BurnCitySports) May 13, 2023
