WNBA’s Brittney Griner Detained in Russia: What We Know

ESPN Daily

ESPN

Sports

4.6 • 3.9K Ratings

🗓️ 14 March 2022

⏱️ 32 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

WNBA All-Star Brittney Griner was arrested by Russian police at an airport near Moscow last month. Griner is being held on charges that she was transporting hashish oil, a marijuana concentrate, which is illegal in Russia. The details of Griner’s arrest were not public until early March. That sparked outcry over the lack of attention around Griner’s case, but also concern that publicity could further endanger her. ESPN investigative reporter T.J. Quinn explains what we know and how a delicate dance plays out from here, as government officials and those closest to Griner fight to bring her home. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	ESPN Daily is presented by supercuts, the smarter, easier way to get a haircut.
0:06.1	It's not just any haircut, it's supercuts.
0:13.2	WMBA star Brittany Griner is still in Russia after being detained since February.
0:19.0	Customs officials at a Russian airport claim they found
0:21.5	vape cartridges with hashish oil in Greiner's luggage. Now, possession of the oil is a crime
0:27.3	in Russia. And Greiner, like many WMBA players, was playing basketball in the country
0:32.2	during the off season. Now, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said Sunday, the United States will, quote, provide
0:38.3	every possible assistance to citizens who are being held in foreign countries.
0:47.3	As Vladimir Putin wages war on Ukraine and escalates all sorts of tensions with the United
0:55.6	States, one of America's best basketball players has been detained in Russia by police
1:02.8	for weeks, with no clear pathway home.
1:07.8	So today, ESPN investigative reporter T.J. Quinn unpacks the high-stakes dilemma of Brittany Griner,
1:14.6	and he explains why the people closest to the WNBA star do not want her story to turn into a political cause,
1:22.6	which means that we have to thread a needle here of our own.
1:27.3	I'm Pablo Torre. It's Monday, March 14th.
1:31.3	This is ESPN Daily.
1:36.8	TJ, I have a zillion questions approximately about this story
1:42.8	and how we talk about this story. But I just
1:45.9	want to start with maybe the most obvious one at the moment, which is, do we know where Brittany
1:51.6	Griner is exactly right now? We don't. You and I don't. And very few people do, but the people who matter do know.
2:06.5	She has an attorney in Russia.
2:09.2	The U.S. consulate knows where she is.
	...

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