Surveying her new surroundings in a Russian penal colony, the enormity of her prison confinement suddenly dawned on Brittney Griner, the WNBA star has told ABC.
Speaking to ABC anchor Robin Roberts, the 33-year-old Griner said it was at that moment she “felt just less than a human.” The two-time Olympic gold-medalist spent nearly 300 days in Russian custody after being detained in February 2022 and sentenced to nine years in prison under drug-smuggling charges after authorities in the country found cannabis oil in her luggage. “There was a huge knife sitting on the table, and I was just like: ‘Now, this is going to be a ride,’” said Griner.
“My life is over right here,” recalls Griner of her initial reaction to that moment, while also denying that she has ever taken cannabis into Russia. Griner was eventually sentenced to nine years in prison for drug smuggling. “I was just so scared about everything. There was so much unknown,” she told ABC. When she was asked if there were times when she lost faith, Griner said: “Yeah. I didn’t think I could get through what I needed to get through.
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