Change.org Petition: Secure Brittney Griner’s Swift and Safe Return to the U​.​S.

WNBA superstar Brittney Griner has been held in a Russian jail cell for two months now. Russia says she was smuggling drugs, but experts say those charges could have been faked for political reasons. Supporters are fearful that Brittney could face up to five years in a Russian labor camp. Tamryn is a basketball journalist, and she says that the Biden administration needs to bring Brittney home safely. Sign Tamryn’s petition to demand Brittney’s swift return. Secure Brittney Griner’s Swift and Safe Return to the U​.​S. 78,476 have signed Tamryn Spruill’s petition. Let’s get to 150,000!

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WNBA superstar Brittney Griner was detained by Russia while attempting to move through a Moscow airport, the New York Times reported on Saturday March 5. League veteran Angel McCoughtry shared on social media that Griner had been detained for three weeks already by the time the Times’ story broke.  Griner is a beloved global citizen who has used her platform since her entry into the WNBA to help others. She was detained while working in Russia -- playing for UMMC Ekaterinburg, where in 2021 she helped the team win its fifth EuroLeague Women championship. Like many athletes competing in the WNBA, Griner plays abroad during the WNBA offseason because her salary is exponentially higher abroad. Professional athletes never know when their careers will come to an end. They must compete today with tomorrow’s financial security in mind. For WNBA players, that means moving abroad for several months of the year. NBA rookies who haven’t played a professional game, meanwhile, are handed salaries many-times higher than what title-winning, All-Star designated WNBA veterans could ever hope for.   [WHY BRITTNEY GRINER AND OTHER WNBA PLAYERS COMPETE OVERSEAS] [HOW A 2020 WNBA DRAFT PICK ENDED UP LIVING IN A CAMPGROUND IN HUNGARY] These realities are not the fault of the players, who simply want to be paid their worth. The ramifications of year-round basketball have been many, starting with wear and tear on the body leading to serious injury. Now, we’re witnessing the culmination of pay inequities in the U.S., where women still are paid less than men, and Black women are paid less than anyone. It is these inequities that had her playing in Russia in the first place. And these inequities are the reason this petition is necessary.  Black women, from missing persons cases to victims of crime, are not treated with the same urgency as white women and other groups. We demand that lawmakers hold Griner in the same regard as they would any other sports icon. If it was Tom Brady being held captive, as New York Magazine posited, would there be radio silence across sports media?   Because of the delicate nature of these events, I reached out to the WNBA first, before creating the petition. I wanted to ensure that this effort to keep Brittney Griner front and center in the minds of U.S. government officials did not run afoul of either the league’s or officials’ efforts to secure her safety. “As for if you’d like to urge folks to call on government officials for assistance I will leave that decision to you,” a WNBA spokesperson replied. Thus, the petition was created after careful thought, inquiry and discussion out of an abundance of caution, and with the singular interest in, calling on U.S. officials to keep Brittney Griner a top priority in all of their decision-making during this grim, worldwide catastrophe.  Contact information for U.S. government officials should you wish to express your concern directly: U.S. Department of State Contact Page Arizona Senators                                                            Kyrsten Sinema (202) 224-2235 Mark Kelly (202) 224-2235 Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s                Subcommittee on Europe and Regional Security Cooperation  Majority Members: Shaheen, Jeanne (NH), Chairman Cardin, Benjamin L. (MD) Murphy, Christopher (CT) Van Hollen, Chris (MD) Coons, Christopher A. (DE) Menendez, Robert (NJ), Ex Officio Minority Members: Johnson, Ron (WI), Ranking Member Barrasso, John (WY) Romney, Mitt (UT) Portman, Rob (OH) Young, Todd (IN) Risch, James E. (ID), Ex Officio House Foreign Affairs Committee Gregory Meeks, Chairman Phone: (202) 225-3461 Email: Melissa.Barosy@mail.house.gov Europe, Energy, the Environment, and Cyber Subcommittee William Keating, Chair, (202) 225-3111 Brian Fitzpatrick, Ranking Member, (202) 225-4276 US Ambassador to Russia                                                John J. Sullivan,+7 (495) 728-5000

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