Brittney Griner recently shared the grueling details of his detention in one of Russia’s worst prisons.
O WNBA star sat down with Robin Roberts on a special edition of 20/20 to discuss painful memories.
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At the beginning of the interview, the 33-year-old and the broadcaster took a trip down memory lane. Roberts showed her a video from her high school basketball days when Griner rocked cornrows. Phoenix Mercury laughed fondly and commented on how thin she was.
Additionally, they discussed how his body grew quickly and how his voice became deeper as a teenager. Brittney underwent several tests to find the cause, but ended up asking her parents if they could stop.
The conversation intensified when Brittney told how she was caught with cartridges filled with cannabis oil while traveling abroad to play basketball in Russia.
Brittney details the horror of detention
Griner was detained in jail prior to her trial. She stated there was a hole in the floor for her to use the bathroom. Additionally, she was forced to use one of his shirts to clean herself because they didn’t provide tissues. Number 42 says she was scared when she was transferred to the group area of the detention center.
When Brittney arrived, she claimed a knife was left by the guards. The Texas native said “dirt, dust and soot” filled the accommodation. “Blood stains” were also evident. Additionally, Griner stated that he ate “thick mush” that looked like “cement” because it was very difficult. She was also given only two thin sheets to sleep on in the freezing cell.
Additionally, Brittney said she received a roll of toilet paper a month. Furthermore, she stated that there was a time when prisoners would go without tissues for 2 to 3 months. Griner also explained that the toothpaste they received was 15 years old and the inmates used it to kill mold on the walls instead of using it.
Women were often tortured by being left outside in blizzards for 2 to 3 hours.
Brittney shared that she thought about ending her life
Brittney said she often thought about ending her life.
“I definitely thought about it,” she told Robin. She said the idea that Russian authorities might not hand over her body to her family stopped her.
When the story hit the news, it had some supporters on social media and others spewed criticism. They labeled her “drugged head”, “drug dealer” It is “dumb.”
Brittney told Robin that she cried because she believed she had disappointed her father and tarnished the family name.
After her 9-year sentence, she was sent to one of the worst penal colonies in Russia. 50 to 60 women shared one bathroom. The cells were constantly cold and spiders built nets above the bunks. Brittney stated that her dreadlocks started to freeze, which made her sick, so she cut her hair.
“You have to do whatever it takes to survive,” BG said.
Griner told Robin he gave his wife, Cherelle Griner, permission to move on. She explained to her husband that she understood if it was too much to bear. Brittney just asked if Cherelle would at least be friends with her and write to her. His wife stated that she never thought about abandoning Brittney.
Griner goes home
The US government worked to find a trade bargain. Russia ended up trading her for arms dealer Viktor Bout. When being transported back to the USA, there was an unexpected stop at a men’s prison. Brittney stated that she assumed the deal fell through. She was forced to stand naked in front of a room full of men. Photos were taken of her. She described it as “one last cry to humiliate her.”
Brittney said that when she boarded her flight back to America, she was shocked when Paul Whelan, a former Marine arrested in Russia for espionage in 2020, was not on the plane. She is now an advocate for Whelan and all U.S. citizens wrongfully detained in Russia.
Brittney says she was called “unpatriotic” and people made scathing comments on social media like “Her mother should have strangled her at birth,” but she chooses to focus on those who love her.
She said coming home means being “happy,” “in peace,” It is “enjoying life.”
Congratulations, once again, on being home, BG!
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