Megan Rapinoe Raises Brittney Griner's Imprisonment With President Joe Biden, per Report

When soccer star Megan Rapinoe received the call from President Joe Biden about being awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in July, she was beyond excited for the moment.

But as she embraced becoming the first soccer player to receive what is considered the highest civilian honor in the United States, the longtime U.S. women’s national team star didn’t shy away from telling the country’s top-ranking leader her thoughts on returning Brittney Griner home from Russia.

Rapinoe urged Biden to engage in greater efforts to secure the Mercury star's release from Russian detention, according to Politico. While the White House administration failed to comment about the call between Rapinoe and Biden, Politico reported that a person familiar with the situation said Biden’s national security team was “pursuing every avenue” to get Griner released “as quickly as possible.”

Griner, who was arrested at an airport near Moscow in February and accused of possessing hashish oil in her luggage, was recently sentenced to nine years in a Russian penal colony and fined by a Russian court on charges of smuggling drugs with criminal intent.

Like Rapinoe, organizations such as the Women's National Basketball Players Association and prominent athletes and sports figures—like LeBron James, Steph Curry, Breanna Stewart and Dawn Staley—have advocated for Griner’s release. Last month at the ESPYs, Rapinoe made a powerful speech while wearing a white suit in which she threaded “BG” with a flower on the lapel of her jacket to bring awareness to Griner.

Since Rapinoe and Biden spoke in July, there have been additional developments. Biden spoke with Griner’s wife, Cherelle, to assure her that his team was doing everything it could to bring Griner home. 

In addition, the U.S. began negotiations with Russia about a potential prisoner swap that would bring Griner and American Paul Whelan home, possibly in exchange for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout. Whelan, a security executive, was arrested in 2018 on espionage charges. He was sentenced to 16 years in prison but maintains his innocence.

As Griner remains in prison under Russian custody, her Russian legal team has appealed her conviction on the smuggling charges. However, the length of time that she remains in prison will be determined by how soon the U.S. and Russia can come to terms on a prisoner swap deal.