As Britney Greiner prepares for trial this week in Russia, her head coach at Phoenix Mercury can’t help but wonder if the situation would actually have been resolved if it was LeBron James who got arrested.
After her team’s loss to the Los Angeles Sparks on Monday, Mercury coach Vanessa Nygaard spoke to the media about the message being sent by not bringing Grenier home.
“If it was LeBron, he’d be home, right?” asked Nygaard. “It’s a statement about the value of a woman. It’s a statement about the value of a black person. It’s a statement about the value of a gay person. All of these things. We know that, and it hurts a little more.”
For subscribers: Britney Grenier’s “sham” trial in Russia is underway. Here’s what you need to know about her ordeal.
Greiner wrote a letter to President Joe Biden, asking him to “not forget me and the other American detainees.”
White House press secretary Karen Jean-Pierre said Biden had read the letter and that Greiner’s return was a priority for the administration.
“We believe she is being held unjustly,” Jean-Pierre said. “We think she needs to go home.”
The two-time Olympic gold medalist was arrested on February 17 for possession of cannabis oil while returning to play for her Russian team. The trial will resume on Thursday, and if found guilty, she could face up to 10 years in prison.
