(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Tuesday’s sports events:
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
INTERLEAGUE LA Angels 5, Pittsburgh 4 Toronto 5, Philadelphia 3 Kansas City 6, Milwaukee 4 Atlanta 5, Boston 0 Baltimore 7, Washington 6
AMERICAN LEAGUE Cleveland 5, Detroit 4 Oakland 9, Texas 4 Chi White Sox 4, Tampa Bay 1 NY Yankees 9, Houston 4 Minnesota 6, Seattle 3 Texas 12, Oakland 11
NATIONAL LEAGUE NY Mets at St. Louis (Postponed) San Diego 3, Chi Cubs 0 LA Dodgers 3, Miami 1 Final Arizona 4, Cincinnati 3 San Francisco 8, Colorado 6
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION PLAYOFFS New York 130, Indiana 121 (New York leads series 2-0)
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE PLAYOFFS Florida 6, Boston 1 (Series tied 1-1) Vancouver 5, Edmonton 4 (Vancouver leads series 1-0)
(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Wednesday’s sports events:
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
INTERLEAGUE Detroit 4, St. Louis 1 Milwaukee 7, Tampa Bay 1 Oakland 4, Pittsburgh 0 Atlanta 5, Seattle 2 Philadelphia 2, LA Angels 1 Boston 6, San Francisco 2 Washington 1, Texas 0
AMERICAN LEAGUE Minnesota 10, Chi White Sox 5 Kansas City 6, Toronto 1 NY Yankees 2, Baltimore 0 Cleveland 3, Houston 2
NATIONAL LEAGUE San Diego 6, Cincinnati 2 Miami 4, Colorado 1 Chi Cubs 1, NY Mets 0 LA Dodgers 8, Arizona 0
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION PLAYOFFS Boston 118, Miami 84 (Boston wins series 4-1) Dallas 123, LA Clippers 93 (Dallas leads series 3-2)
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE PLAYOFFS Dallas 3, Vegas 2 (Dallas leads series 3-2) Edmonton 4, Los Angeles 3 (Edmonton wins series 4-1)
(NEW YORK) — WNBA star Brittney Griner opened up for the first time about her harrowing monthslong detention in Russia and the “mistake” that got her sentenced to nine years in prison in a special edition of ABC News’ 20/20 airing Wednesday at 10 p.m. ET on ABC.
“I could just visualize everything I worked so hard for just crumbling and going away,” Griner told ABC’s Good Morning America co-anchor Robin Roberts.
Griner, 33, a two-time Olympic gold medalist and a nine-time WNBA All-Star who plays for the Phoenix Mercury, was detained on Feb. 17, 2022, at Sheremetyevo International Airport in Khimki after she was accused of having vape cartridges containing cannabis oil, which is illegal in the country.
Recounting the “mental lapse” that led her to forget the cannabis oil cartridges in her luggage, Griner said that she had awakened late on the morning she was sent to travel to Russia to play during the WNBA’s off-season and she packed while she was “in panic mode.”
“My packing at that moment was just throwing all my stuff in there and zipping it up and saying, ‘OK, I’m ready,’” she told Roberts.
Griner, who reflects on the experience in Coming Home, a memoir set to be released on May 7, recalled the sinking feeling she had when she realized that she had forgotten two cannabis oil cartridges in her luggage after security asked her to go through her bag at the airport.
“I’m just like, ‘Oh, my God.’ Like, ‘How did I– how did I make this mistake?’” Griner said.
“I could just visualize everything I worked so hard for just crumbling and going away,” she said.
Griner was arrested and, after her trial was delayed for several months, she pleaded guilty to drug charges on July 7, 2022, saying that the vape cartridges containing cannabis oil were in her luggage unintentionally. She testified that she had “no intention” of breaking Russian law and packed the cartridges by accident.
“You know there are those who say, ‘Come on. How did you not know that you had cartridges in your luggage?’” Roberts asked.
“It’s just so easy to have a mental lapse,” Griner said.
“Granted, my mental lapse was on a more grand scale. But it doesn’t take away from how that can happen,” she added.
The U.S. State Department classified Griner as “wrongfully detained” in May 2022, which allowed additional resources to be applied to her case as the Biden administration worked to secure her release.
Griner reflected on the poor living conditions in prison as she awaited her trial, saying that she didn’t always have toilet paper and that the toothpaste they gave her had expired about 15 years ago.
“That toothpaste was expired,” she said. “We used to put it on the black mold to kill the mold on the walls.”
“The mattress had a huge blood stain on it, and they give you these thin two sheets,” she added. “So you’re basically laying on bars.”
Griner was sentenced to nine years in prison on Aug. 4, 2022, and a judge denied in October 2022 an appeal filed by Griner’s attorneys.
After her sentencing, Griner was transferred to a penal colony in the Russian region of Mordovia — a work camp where Griner’s job was cutting fabric for Russian military uniforms.
“What were the conditions like there?” Roberts asked.
“Really cold,” Griner said. “It’s a work camp. You go there to work … there’s no rest.”
Griner said that the frigid temperatures were impacting her health and led her to chop off her long dreadlocks.
“What was that like losing that part of you, too?” Roberts asked Griner.
“Honestly, it just had to happen. We had spiders above my bed — making nests,” she said.
“My dreads started to freeze,” she added. “They would just stay wet and cold and I was getting sick. You’ve gotta do what you’ve gotta do to survive.”
During her detention, top athletes and Griner’s family, including her wife Cherelle Griner, were outspoken advocates for her release and continuously called on the Biden White House to intervene and bring her home.
Amid mounting pressure on the White House to secure her freedom, Griner was released on Dec. 8, 2022, after the U.S. agreed to swap her for convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.
“You said that you felt that you let down yourself, your family, your teams … how did you work through that?” Roberts asked.
“I don’t think I’ve really gotten through all the way,” Griner said. “At the end of the day, it’s my fault. And I let everybody down.”
Griner reflected on the moment she learned that she was going to be released, saying, “I was so thrilled,” but she added that she was disappointed that Paul Whelan — another American wrongfully detained in Russia — was left behind.
“I was like … are you seriously not gonna let this man come home right now?” Griner said of Whelan, who was convicted of espionage and sentenced to 16 years in a Russian prison.
Since her release, Griner has become an outspoken advocate for Americans wrongfully detained abroad.
In a heartfelt Instagram post on Dec. 16, 2022, where she thanked those who advocated for her release, Griner vowed “to do whatever I can to help” bring home other Americans wrongfully detained abroad.
“President Biden, you brought me home and I know you are committed to bringing Paul Whelan and all Americans home, too,” Griner wrote. “I will use my platform to do whatever I can to help you. I also encourage everyone that played a part in bringing me home to continue their efforts to bring all Americans home. Every family deserves to be whole.”
(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Tuesday’s sports events:
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
INTERLEAGUE St. Louis 2, Detroit 1 Detroit 11, St. Louis 6 Boston 4, San Francisco 0 Texas 7, Washington 1 Milwaukee 8, Tampa Bay 2 Seattle 3, Atlanta 2 Oakland 5, Pittsburgh 2 Philadelphia 7, LA Angels 5
AMERICAN LEAGUE Baltimore 4, NY Yankees 2 Kansas City 4, Toronto 1 Minnesota 6, Chi White Sox 5 Houston 10, Cleveland 9
NATIONAL LEAGUE Arizona 4, LA Dodgers 3 (10) Miami 7, Colorado 6 NY Mets 4, Chi Cubs 2 San Diego 6, Cincinnati 4
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION PLAYOFFS Philadelphia 112, New York 106 (OT) (New York leads series 3-2) Cleveland 104, Orlando 103 (Cleveland leads series 3-2) Milwaukee 115, Indiana 92 (Indiana leads series 3-2)
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE PLAYOFFS Toronto 2, Boston 1 (OT) (Boston leads series 3-2) Carolina 6, NY Islanders 3 (Carolina wins series 4-1) Colorado 6, Winnipeg 3 (Colorado wins series 4-1) Nashville 2, Vancouver 1 (Vancouver leads series 3-2)
(NEW YORK) — WNBA star Brittney Griner reflected on the moment she learned the U.S. secured her freedom from Russian detention and voiced her support for bringing home other Americans wrongfully detained abroad in a special edition of ABC News’ 20/20 that is set to air Wednesday at 10 p.m. ET on ABC. ABC’s Good Morning America will air a first look earlier in the day.
“I saw that paper and I was so thrilled,” Griner told GMA co-anchor Robin Roberts as she reflected on a note she received, which stated she was going to be released from Russian detention after nearly 10 months.
“It said: ‘be ready to leave,’” Griner said, as she recalled reading the note.
Griner, 33, a two-time Olympic gold medalist and a nine-time WNBA All-Star who plays for the Phoenix Mercury, was detained on Feb. 17, 2022, at Sheremetyevo International Airport in Khimki after she was accused of having vape cartridges containing cannabis oil, which is illegal in the country. Griner was returning to Russia to play during the WNBA’s off-season.
She was detained one week before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began. The war stoked Russian tensions with the U.S. and some U.S. officials, including lawmakers in Griner’s native Houston, expressed concern that Americans jailed in Russia could be used as leverage in the ongoing conflict.
The U.S. State Department classified Griner’s case as “wrongfully detained” in May 2022 and the Biden administration worked for months to secure her freedom.
Griner pleaded guilty to drug charges on July 7, 2022, saying that the vape cartridges containing cannabis oil were in her luggage unintentionally. She testified that she had “no intention” of breaking Russian law and packed the cartridges by accident.
Amid mounting pressure on the U.S. to secure her freedom, the WNBA star was released on Dec. 8, 2022, after U.S. officials agreed to swap Griner for convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, whose capture in Thailand in 2008 was the end of a nearly decade-long hunt by the U.S. to stop him.
“Being traded for a person known as ‘the merchant of death’; there were some Americans who thought that wasn’t a fair trade,” Roberts told Griner. “That this was a heinous criminal and to be traded when it should have been, perhaps, somebody else. What do you say to those who felt it wasn’t a balanced trade?”
”If it was left up to me in that trade, I would have went and got Paul and brought him home,” Griner said, referencing the case of Paul Whelan — a former U.S. Marine charged with espionage in Russia, where he has been detained since December 2018 and is serving a 16-year prison sentence.
“But any time that we can bring home an American, that is a win for Americans. No one should be left behind,” Griner added.
Roberts asked Griner about an excerpt from her upcoming memoir, Coming Home, which is set to be released on May 7, where Griner writes that she was hoping she would be joined on the plane back to the U.S. by someone else.
“You wrote that you were hoping to see someone else on that plane,” Roberts said. “You were hoping to see Paul Whelan.”
Griner nodded, saying, “When I walked on and I didn’t see him, I was like, ‘OK, maybe I’m early. Maybe he’s next. Maybe they are going to bring him next,’” she said of Whelan.
“And when they closed the door, I was like … are you seriously not gonna let this man come home right now?” Griner added, recounting her disappointment.
Since her release, Griner has become an outspoken advocate for Americans wrongfully detained abroad, including Whelan and Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who was detained in Russia in March 2023 and charged with espionage. The U.S. government designated both Whelan and Gershkovich as “wrongfully detained” — a classification that allows additional resources to be applied to their cases as the U.S. works to secure their release.
Griner vowed in a heartfelt Instagram post on Dec. 16, 2022, where she thanked those who advocated for her release, “to do whatever I can to help” bring home other Americans wrongfully detained abroad.
“President Biden, you brought me home and I know you are committed to bringing Paul Whelan and all Americans home, too,” Griner wrote. “I will use my platform to do whatever I can to help you. I also encourage everyone that played a part in bringing me home to continue their efforts to bring all Americans home. Every family deserves to be whole.”
