Basketball star Brittney Griner has pleaded guilty to drug charges in Russia. The two-time Olympic gold medalist now faces up to a decade in prison.
The Department of State has classified Griner as wrongfully detained. There have been mass calls for Griner’s release over fears she is being used by Russia as a political pawn. Griner was administered drug tests and samples were taken, none of which showed any traces of drugs.
“She was clean, and she was tested,” one of her lawyers said.
Griner chose herself to plead guilty. Her legal team in Russia added that she “sets an example of being brave.”
“She decided to take full responsibility for her actions as she knows that she is a role model for many people,” a statement from her lawyers said.
Griner told the court that she did not intend to commit a crime. She said that she packed them accidentally as she was in a hurry.
Pleading guilty was Griner’s decision alone. But she was told that there is a 99 percent reported conviction rate in Russian criminal cases. Therefore, the lawyers urged Griner to weigh all the factors, including a plea that could ultimately result in a shorter sentence.
Her lawyers hope that the court will be lenient on her since she pleaded guilty, and because the amount found was so minimal.
The statement said that considering the nature of her case, the insignificant amount of the substance, and her personality as well as her history of positive contributions to both global and Russian sport, the defense hopes that the plea will be considered by the court as a mitigating factor and there will be no severe sentence.
The trial is expected to last until the beginning of August. The next hearing is set for a week from now, on July 14.
Griner was arrested in February at a Moscow airport after officials say they found cannabis oil in her luggage. Griner was in Russia because she plays basketball in the country during the offseason of the WNBA.
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