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Two of Brittney Griner’s USA Basketball teammates have damaged their silence on the star participant’s imprisonment in Russia.
Most WNBA gamers have been hesitant to speak about Griner’s detention on obvious drug prices in Russia, hoping to keep away from doubtlessly hurting her case.
“Persons are saying she’s 6-foot-9, she’s completely different. It is actually not about that,” mentioned USA Basketball participant Angel McCoughtry on Wednesday on the crew’s coaching camp in Minneapolis. “It may have been any of us.”
For the primary few weeks following Griner’s detention, it was determined that it was clearly higher for them to say much less.
The Phoenix Mercury star was detained after arriving at a Moscow airport in mid-February. Russian authorities mentioned a search of her baggage revealed vape cartridges that allegedly contained oil derived from hashish, which may carry a most penalty of 10 years in jail. Griner was returning to the nation after the Russian League was taking a break for the FIBA World Cup qualifying match.
‘[WNBA] gamers must be valued’
“The massive factor is the truth that we now have to go over there. It was BG, however it may have been anyone,” mentioned Breanna Stewart, who earns over $1 million US to play in Russia. “WNBA gamers must be valued of their nation and so they will not should play abroad.”
Moreover providing help for Griner, Stewart additionally needed to assist a charity that the Mercury’s All-Star has been concerned with — The Phoenix Rescue Mission — for a very long time.
“Whereas BG is away I needed to help her and her charitable efforts and do what I can from an off-the-court standpoint to assist her and her household,” Stewart mentioned.
Russia has been a well-liked vacation spot for WNBA gamers like Stewart, McCoughtry and Griner over the previous twenty years due to the cash they’ll make taking part in there within the winter.
The WNBA has made strides to extend participant salaries and discover different methods to compensate gamers within the final collective bargaining settlement, which was ratified in 2020. The contract, which runs via 2027, pays gamers a mean of $130,000, with the highest stars in a position to earn greater than $500,000 via wage, advertising agreements, an in-season match and bonuses.
The CBA additionally supplies full salaries whereas gamers are on maternity depart, enhanced household advantages, journey requirements and different well being and wellness enhancements.
Of the 1000’s of U.S. residents arrested and jailed in prisons overseas, a small subset are designated by the U.S. authorities as wrongfully detained — a class that affords their instances an additional stage of presidency consideration and locations them beneath the auspices of the Particular Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs on the State Division. The U.S. authorities has not but put Griner’s case in that class.
Griner shouldn’t be the one American detained in Russia. Marine veteran Trevor Reed was sentenced to 9 years in jail in 2020 on prices alleging that he assaulted law enforcement officials in Moscow. And Michigan company safety government Paul Whelan is serving a 16-year sentence on espionage prices that his household and the U.S. authorities have mentioned are false. U.S. officers have publicly known as for Moscow to launch them.
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