Brittney Griner’s Wife Recounts ‘Disturbing’ Call From Russia

Brittney Griner’s wife, Cherelle, described a recent phone call with the WNBA star as “the most disturbing phone call I’ve ever experienced.”

“You could hear that she was not O.K.,” Cherelle said on CBS Mornings.

Cherelle recounted the conversation and described the eight-time WNBA All-Star’s mental state as she serves a nine-year prison sentence in Russia. The Mercury star was arrested at a Moscow airport in February and accused of having hashish oil in her luggage. She pleaded guilty to drug charges in July and was convicted by a Russian court of smuggling drugs with criminal intent in August. Brittney has an appeal hearing scheduled for Oct. 25.

Cherelle said the pair have had limited communication and spoke for the first time during Brittney’s detainment in August, six months after she was taken into custody. Regarding that conversation with Brittney, Cherelle said it was “delightful” to hear her voice and felt Brittney could get through the ordeal.

The next conversation was a stark contrast, with Cherelle saying, “I think I cried for two, three days straight. I did not get out of my bed” afterward.

Cherelle, who describes Brittney as being a “hostage,” said she could hear Brittney’s suffering through the phone. She also said the two-time Olympic gold medalist is “very afraid” of being “left and forgotten” in Russia and feels “like my life just doesn’t matter.” 

“Y’all don’t see the need to get me back home? Am I just nothing?” Cherelle quoted Brittney as saying. 

Cherelle said she is hoping that a deal to bring Brittney back to the United States can be struck with Russia before her appeal hearing later this month. However, Cherelle said the reality is that after the Oct. 25 hearing, Brittney could be moved to a labor camp.

“My brain can’t even fathom,” Cherelle said. 

Since Brittney’s detainment, Cherelle, the WNBA and NBA and the U.S. government have been working to bring her home. CBS host Gayle King reported the White House said this week it has a “substantial deal on the table right now” and urges Russian officials to consider it or bring a strong counteroffer. 

Talks of a prisoner swap have been widely reported, with King saying the U.S. could be offering Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout in exchange for Brittney and another American, Paul Whelan, who has been in Russian custody since December 2018.