Martina Navratilova praises Brittney Griner for her statement on Paul Whelan upon returning from prison
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Brittney Griner exiting the plane that brought her home (Image : Brittney Griner Instagram) and Martina Navratilova
Martina Navratilova was one of the many Americans delighted with the release of Brittney Griner. Griner, the WNBA player for Phoenix Mercury, had been arrested in Russia earlier this year for possession of hashish oil, one of the many banned cannabis in Russia.
Taken to trial, Griner admitted to the charges but defended them saying she had been taking them for medicinal purposes. While the defense would have stood in the USA, it was not the case in Russia and she was sentenced to nine years in prison after the court’s ruling in August this year.
Griner’s early release from the Russian prison was secured after the two countries agreed to a prisoner exchange. Griner was exchanged by the USA by letting go of Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout who had been serving his sentence of 25 years in prison since 2011.
Many sections of US citizens were unhappy with the deal while many hoped to instead get Paul Whelan, a former Marine who’s been arrested for spying in Russia. While the debate continued to rage on the issue, Griner upon returning to the USA issued a public statement through an Instagram post.
In the post, Griner said, “President Biden, you brought me home and I know you are committed to bringing Paul Whelan and all Americans home too. I will use my platform to do whatever I can to help you.” Reacting to it, Navratilova said, “Because that’s how Brittney rolls,” adding clapping emojis showing her approval to her statement.
Brittney Griner wins the approval of not only Martina Navratilova, but Chris Evert as well
Griner’s statements were well received not only by tennis great Navratilova but also one of Navratilova’s oldest rivals and friends Chris Evert. Evert is also quite active on her Twitter handle and voices her opinions on various things. She took the opportunity to express herself on Griner’s statement as well following Navratilova.
Retweeting Navratilova’s tweet, Evert wrote, “Soooo happy and relieved for her…hoping @brittneygriner can heal and put this trauma behind her… and get back to the sport she loves!” Evert will be happy to know that Griner does intend to continue playing for Phoenix as confirmed by her in her Instagram post.
With the 2023 WNBA season set to commence in May next year, Griner has enough time to relax and get back to her game. Having missed out an entire season where the Mercury’s lost in the first round of playoffs, Griner will hope to lead them to victory next year.
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Sarthak Shitole
(3462 Articles Published)