On the counts of Drug smuggling and possession, WNBA player- Griner was sentenced very heavily.
“I want to apologize to my teammates, my club, my fans and the city of (Yekaterinburg) for my mistake that I made and the embarrassment that I brought on them,” she said. “I want to also apologize to my parents, my siblings, the Phoenix Mercury organization back at home, the amazing women of the WNBA, and my amazing spouse back at home.”
She added: “Hope in your ruling it does not end my life.”
It looks like it just may ruin her life if she’s forced to serve all 9 years. She was caught with 2 cartridges of cannabis oil, which in the USA wouldn’t be a huge deal, but in Russia it’s enough to warrant nearly a decade behind bars.
Griner has taken a lot of heat from American citizens, as she’s made some anti-American statements in the past but is now seeing how much better she had it while back home, in fact asking the US government to help her. So far, help hasn’t arrived.