Brittney Griner’s wife Cherelle is speaking out about Griner’s detainment in Russia, saying that there’s “not a task in this world that could keep any of us from worrying about you.”
“There are no words to express this pain,” she wrote in a post on Instagram March 7. “I’m hurting, we’re hurting. We await the day to love on you as a family.”
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Brittney was detained Feb. 17 in Russia over reportedly having hashish oil in her luggage. On Wednesday, Russian state TV released a photo from Griner’s booking.
Her current location is unknown.
A statement released by the Russian Federal Customs Service and obtained by the New York Times states that a criminal case has been opened into the “large-scale transportation of drugs.” If convicted, the crime carries a prison sentence of up to 10 years.
On March 6, one day after the news broke, Cherelle thanked those who had reached out to her regarding Brittney’s return and called it “one of the weakest moments of my life.”
“Please honor our privacy as we continue to work on getting my wife home safely,” she continued.
On Sunday, U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said that the United States is providing “every possible assistance” to Griner. He also declined to comment further on her status due to privacy concerns. On Wednesday, U.S. congressman Colin Allred (D-Texas) said that the administration is “working hard” to gain access to Griner and aid in any way possible.
“Obviously, it’s also happening in the context of really strained relations,” Allred said, referencing the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine. “I do think that it’s really unusual that we’ve not been granted access to her from our embassy and our consular services.”
Griner had been on her way to Russia to play with UMMC Ekaterinburg. Russia is a common landing spot for WNBA players during the offseason, as playing overseas can bring substantially higher salaries than in the US.