WNBA All-Star's wife begs Biden to help free spouse from Russian prison

During an interview with ESPN’s Angela Rye,” the wife of WNBA All-Star Brittney Griner begged President Joe Biden to help free her partner from a Russian prison, where she’s been held on drug charges since February.

“There is one person that can go get her, and that’s our president,” Cherelle Griner said in the interview which aired on ABC’s “Good Morning America.”

“He has that power. You know, I’m just like, ‘Why are we not using it? Like, urgently, use it.’ We’re expecting him to use his power to get it done,” she added.

Cherelle Griner said she last spoke with her wife – the 31-year-old two-time Olympian – on Feb. 17 but has relied on attorneys to communicate with her since.

“I’m in a position of complete vulnerability right now,” Griner said. “I have to trust people that I didn’t even know until Feb. 17.”

“So I’m trusting her lawyers. … ‘How does she look? How is her spirit? How is her energy?’ I’m just asking all those questions, trying to just get some type of indication or vibe. Some days they say, ‘She’s really strong. … She seemed in good spirits when we talked.’ And sometimes they’ll say, ‘Her energy was really low,'” she said.

Griner was arrested in February at a Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport after Russian customs officials discovered an electronic cigarette allegedly containing cannabis oil among her possessions.

The U.S. State Department has since declared that she has been “wrongfully detained” and urged Moscow to release her, ESPN reported.

The 31-year-old center traveled to Russia to play with Russian team UMMC Ekaterinburg where she earns over $1 million per season – although she still plays for the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury during the regular season. WNBA players are known to play abroad when they are out of season as they receive much higher salaries than in the United States.

At the time of her arrest, Russian customs officials said that the alleged offence could carry a 5-10-year prison sentence.

U.S. officials, for their part, have warned that the Kremlin is using Griner in order to negotiate a prisoner exchange or to gain an advantage as the West continues to impose crippling sanctions against Moscow ahead of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the New York Times reported.