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“Biden and Harris Need to Do Something”: Brittney Griner Finds Support from a Legendary Boxer

Published 11/27/2022, 11:50 AM EST

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WNBA star Brittney Griner ahs received great support from all over the world in her fight for freedom. Many international stars and athletes have spoken in favor of Griner’s release in recent times. The WNBA star is currently serving a nine-year sentence in a Russian penal colony. She was recently moved to the IK-2 penal colony in Mordovia, believed to be a relic of the Soviet Union’s Gulag system. Recently, British boxing legend Audley Harrison voiced his support for Brittney Griner and requested President Joe Biden and VP Kamala Harris to take immediate action.

Audley Harrison had an exceptional boxing career from 2001-13. The southpaw won 31 out of his 38 career fights with 23 knockouts. He also won a gold medal for Great Britain at the 2000 Sydney Olympics as an amateur. In addition, Harrison became the European heavyweight champion in 2010.

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Meanwhile, The 51-year-old recently shared a post on Twitter to support Brittney Griner and advocate for her release from Russia. 

Audley Harrison calls for the release of Brittney Griner

In his recent tweet, Audley Harrison termed the Brittney Griner saga a ‘tragedy.’ Moreover, he suggested certain reasons as the root cause of her prolonged detention.

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Harrison wrote“What a tragedy this case is – Biden & Harrison need to do something about this case – if the player was in @NBA I bet you they would be home by now #BrittneyGriner is trapped in an absolute nightmare.”

The British boxing legend reckoned that Griner was stuck in the worst of nightmares. Harrison urged President Biden and VP Kamala Harris to heighten efforts in bringing Griner home. He also claimed that an NBA player in a similar predicament as Griner would have been rescued sooner. In other words, Harrison openly supported Brittney Griner and demanded the authorities secure the WNBA star’s release. 

US Authorities’ efforts to bring Griner home

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The State Department has been working relentlessly to finalize the prisoner swap deal with Russia. The Biden Administration proposed a prisoner swap deal for the release of Brittney Griner and US Marine Paul Whelan in July. They offered to release convicted arms dealer Viktor Bout, who is currently serving a 25-year sentence in the US. Bout is also infamously known as the ‘Merchant of Death.’

After months of silence, the Kremlin finally gave a public response to the prisoner swap offer. Russia’s foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov stated that the two countries were negotiating the option of a prisoner swap through designated channels. He also expressed that Viktor Bout was discussed as a positive option for the swap.

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WATCH THIS STORY: Did WNBA star Brittney Griner date 7-ft Lakers center, Anthony Davis?

However, days later, the State Department claimed that the negotiations were not going as well as Russia implied in front of the world. Unfortunately, the negotiations continue while Griner faces the horrors of her penal colony.

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Written by:

Rohit Kumawat

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Rohit Kumawat is an NBA writer at EssentiallySports. Currently pursuing an MBA in Media and Business Management, Rohit holds a Bachelor's degree in Journalism and Mass Communication. He has been working as a Sports and Entertainment writer for over a year.
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Edited by:

Satagni Sikder