“ I will go to Mr. Putin myself” Dual citizen of both America and Russia promises to bring back Brittney Griner from ‘Laden-land’
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Roy Jones Jr. with Vladimir Putin, Brittney Griner
Roy Jones Jr., a dual citizen of the United States and Russia, claims to be working behind the scenes to help free Brittney Griner. He even says he’s prepared to fly to Moscow and meet with Vladimir Putin in person to bring the WNBA star home.
American basketball player Brittney Griner was given a nine-year prison term in August by a Russian court for illegally importing marijuana-infused vape cartridges into the country. The WNBA star, who is presently serving a prison sentence in Russia, has been eagerly awaited by the sporting community. The US administration reportedly planned to conduct a prisoner exchange in a bid to bring Griner home. In the meanwhile, Roy Jones Jr., a former boxing world champion, is prepared to use his diplomatic ties in Russia to secure Griner’s release. Jones Jr. genuinely wanted to help Griner by leveraging his connections in Russia.
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The confinement of Brittney Griner in Russia
Russian authorities have been holding Brittney Griner since February 17, when they detained her at Sheremetyevo International Airport on the grounds that they believed she was in possession of marijuana oil-infused vape cartridges, which are illegal there. Griner, like many other female basketball players, plays overseas during the WNBA summer to ramp up her income and enforce her competency. The Russian Women’s Basketball Premier League team Griner was representing at the time of her arrest was UMMC Ekaterinburg. While adding that she had a prescription from her doctor and had packed unexpectedly, Griner said she had no clue how the cannabis oil ended up in her suitcase.
Griner is one of the best women’s basketball players in the world. She is a 6-foot-9 centre and an eight-time WNBA all-star. She has nine seasons under her belt and was named WNBA champion in 2014 and has twice led the league in both points and blocks per game. Griner earned the national title and the best player award while playing collegiate basketball for Baylor University, where she broke a record by being the seventh woman in NCAA history to slam dunk in a game. After being selected with the first choice in the WNBA draught in 2013, Griner created history off the field by being the first out gay athlete to sign an endorsement deal with Nike.
Roy Jones Jr. weigh in on the Griner scenario
Recently, Roy Jones Jr. made it known that he was prepared to take immediate action to secure Griner’s release. When discussing the US Government’s approach, he commented: “Right now, I’m hearing they’re trying to do a prisoner swap. If they do the prisoner swap, that will be good. If the prisoner swap does not work then you have to understand that I’m a diplomatic type of person.” He continued by stating: “If I go there, if this doesn’t work I will go to Mr. Putin myself.” All of this discussion reflects the admiration the Russian people have for the boxer, which helped him obtain Russian citizenship and has continued to strengthen his links to the nation.
Roy Jones Jr. is a well-known famous athlete, just the same as Brittney Griner. However, it was not the main reason he was attempting to free her. The 53-year-old is in a unique circumstance as a dual citizen of Russia and the United States and because of his position and his prestige as a boxer, he was able to try to help with Griner’s issue. Jones said he wanted to help because he expected the same in return.
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Irvin Philip
(701 Articles Published)