WNBA officials said it's a top priority to bring Griner home.
As seven-time WNBA All-Star Brittany Griner enters her 54th day in Russian custody, the WNBA Players Association has sent a new message amid concerns about her safety and mental health.
Nneka Ogwumike, the president of the WNBA Players Association, joined "Good Morning America" Tuesday to shed a new light on Griner's detention and the overall mood among her fellow WNBA players.
“We are going forward and given the nature of Brittany’s situation – it was very important for us to be intentional about doing the best we can to make sure we don’t compromise on her coming home,” Ogwumike told an exclusive Told Robin Roberts in the interview. "A lot of it had to do with educating ourselves about the details of what was going on. As much as we could know. But then it was so important for us to understand when and how we spoke about that."
The 31-year-old Phoenix Mercury star and two-time Olympic gold medalist was arrested in February, a week before Russia invaded Ukraine. Russian Customs released video showing Griner passing through security at an airport near Moscow and watching an airport worker remove a package from his bag. According to Russian state media, Griner had vape cartridges containing hashish oil — a prison sentence of up to 10 years in Russia.
"It's tough - it could have been us," said Ogwumike, who has also played overseas during the off-season. "We're really most concerned about his health and safety. Especially his mental health. We're hearing ... he's fine. But we want him home."
In a statement, the US State Department told ABC News: "We are closely engaged on this matter and in constant contact with Ms. Griner's legal team," adding that Griner had not received a consular visit since March 23. but she was in "good condition."
"The consular officer who visited with Brittany Griner was able to verify that she is doing well in these difficult circumstances and is to be expected," said Ned Price, a State Department spokesman.
Ogwmike said he believes there is an issue of gender in Griner's case.
"When isn't it? It's disappointing that when it comes to situations like this, the question of whether it's a gender issue is on the mind now and the reality is that it's there because of the gender issue, pay off inequality," she said. said. “I played in Russia for four years and Poland for a year and China for two years. We go there to supplement our income and are quite clear to keep our game. Our teams keep us going. We encourage you to keep up your game. Being more competitive out there. There's a lot that's in the game, you know, we live internally politically."
The WNBA's top salary is $228K, while NBA star players can earn over $1 million a year.
While Ogwumike said, "we are treated well," she explained that "we don't want to play 12 months out of the year — we don't want to feel like we have to go there to get what we want at home. to reach."
On Monday night, WNBA commissioner Kathy Engelbert quickly addressed Griner's situation abroad in the WNBA draft and called her independence a top priority.
"Before we get into tonight's events, I want to take a moment to reiterate the WNBA's support for Phoenix Mercury star Brittany Griner. Please know that getting her home safely is our top priority." he said.