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Brittney Griner’s arrest in Russia has sparked panic across the sports world in the U.S.
Griner was detained in February at a Moscow airport for allegedly carrying vape cartridges that Russian officials claimed had oils derived from cannabis in them. The arrest wasn’t reported until last weekend, and her first booking photo wasn’t shown until later. She faces 10 years in prison if convicted.
Griner, who plays in the WNBA for the Phoenix Mercury, is like many of her fellow competitors who play overseas when the WNBA is in its offseason. She’s played for UMMC Ekaterinburg for about seven years alongside other American women’s basketball stars.
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A fan in the stands holds up sign saying “Free Brittney” during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game between Iowa State and Baylor in Waco, Texas, Saturday, March 5, 2022.
(AP Photo/LM Otero)
Playing overseas in a foreign country brings its own sort of danger, and adding a State Department warning about Americans traveling to Ukraine and the backdrop of a war in Eastern Europe on top of everything makes for a chaotic and perilous situation.
“It’s always a danger to be playing in a foreign country, and then when you mix in an allegation like drugs going through an airport, that’s going to be very messy,” Dan Lust, a New York City-based sports attorney for Geragos & Geragos, told Fox News Digital. “And then when you add on top of it what’s going on between Russia and Ukraine, that’s a whole other element. It’s kind of a perfect storm here.”
Griner is paid better with UMMC Ekaterinburg and has had a ton of success with the team. She earns more than $1 million playing overseas – quadruple what she and some other top WNBA stars make as a base salary.
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Brittney Griner of USA…
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