‘9 Years? That’s a Disgrace’: Brittney Griner’s Prison Sentence Draws Scathing Criticism From Boxing Superstar

WNBA superstar Brittney Griner was sentenced to a 9-year prison by a Russian court for carrying drugs. Judge Anna Sotnikova of the Khimki city court delivered this sentence after Grenier plead guilty to the charge, moreover, she also has to pay a fine of 1 million rubles or $16,560 along with serving her time.

Following this, the judgment has been criticized by a lot of people, as many feel that the Phoenix Mercury player is being used as a political pawn in the rising tensions between the United States and Russia. This included WBO lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson, who came out with his thoughts on this situation.

Shakur Stevenson criticizes Griner’s prison sentence

Stevenson took to Twitter to show his dissatisfaction with the sentence and called it a ‘disgrace’ and sent his condolences to her family.

Like Stevenson, many feel like this sentence was unfair including the president of the United States Joe Biden, who issued a statement demanding the release of the WNBA star.

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Why did Brittney Griner get arrested in Russia?

During the off-season, Grinner plays basketball in Russia with UMMC Ekaterinburg. However, things would not go so well for the 2-time Olympic gold medalist in 20212, as she was detained at an airport in Moscow for carrying a vape cartridge containing cannabis oil, which is a felony in Russia. Moreover, this was around the time tensions between the US and Russia were rising due to the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Griner’s trial moved rapidly taking only a few months for the judge to serve a sentence of 9 years which is just short of the maximum 10-year sentence. It is reported that the United States and Russia are in talks about a prisoner swap that would cause the United States to release Russian arms trafficker Victor Bout in exchange for Griner and one other prisoner.

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What do you think of Griner’s arrest? Was it a fair or a harsh sentence? Let us know in the comments.