Brittney Griner was eager to talk during flight home: ‘I have been in prison for 10 months’
Brittney Griner was in great spirits during her flight back to the U.S. after being imprisoned in Russia for 10 months, the White House’s top hostage negotiator said Sunday.
The WNBA star spent more than half of the 18-hour trip chatting with negotiator Roger Carstens and others aboard the plane, which landed Friday at an Air Force base in San Antonio, Tex.
“I was left with the impression this is an intelligent, passionate, compassionate, humble, interesting person, a patriotic person. But above all, authentic,” said Carstens, the U.S. special envoy for hostage affairs. “I hate the fact that I had to meet her in this manner, but I actually felt blessed having had a chance to get to know her.”
Griner was freed Thursday in a prisoner exchange for Viktor Bout, a Russian arms dealer. Her release from a Russian penal colony followed her February arrest at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport, where officials said they found vape canisters with cannabis oil inside her luggage.
The 32-year-old Griner pleaded guilty to possessing the substance in July, saying she’d packed the canisters in an “honest mistake.” She was given a nine-year prison sentence, which was upheld in October following an appeal.
Griner, an eight-time all-star with the Phoenix Mercury, traveled to Russia to play basketball during the WNBA offseason.
She was eager to speak with others after boarding the return flight, according to Carstens, who quoted Griner as saying, “I have been in prison for 10 months now, listening to Russian.”
“She moved right past me and went to every member on that crew, looked them in the eyes, shook their hands and asked about them, got their names, making a personal connection with them,” Carstens said. “It was really amazing.”
Born in Houston, the 6-foot-9 Griner won an NCAA championship with the Baylor Bears, a WNBA title with the Mercury and two Olympic gold medals with the U.S. women’s basketball team.
Griner’s wife, Cherelle Griner, thanked the Biden administration following her release, which the president said he’d worked toward “for a long time.”
“Make no mistake about it: This work is not easy. Negotiations are always difficult,” said the commander-in-chief. “There are never any guarantees. But it’s my job as president of the United States to make the hard calls and protect American citizens everywhere in the world.”
With News Wire Services
