Robin Roberts interviewing Brittney Griner (Photo via @GMA/Twitter)
Brittney Griner has finally opened up on her ordeal in Russia, describing the horrible things she experienced after her arrest, and it doesn’t appear that many people feel sorry for her.
The Phoenix Mercury star was interviewed by ABC’s Robin Roberts for a special ‘20/20’ episode airing this Wednesday night.
‘Good Morning America’ dropped a snippet from the interview online which shows Griner retelling her plight.
Griner spent close to 10 months in Russia after getting arrested for a gram of hashish oil at a Moscow airport on February 17, 2022. She pleaded guilty to drug charges and told a judge she packed vape cartridges containing the oil by mistake, but she was sentenced to nine years in prison on drug smuggling and possession charges.
The WNBA center was released on December 8, 2022, as part of a prisoner swap for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.
“The mattress had a huge bloodstain, and they give you these thin two sheets, so you’re basically laying on bars,” She told Roberts in quotes transcribed by The Athletic. “From the middle of my shin to my feet stuck through the bars, which in prison, you really don’t want to stick your leg and arm through bars because someone could go up and grab it, break it, twist it and that’s what was going through my mind.”
She also recalled getting one roll of toilet paper that was supposed to last her a month and receiving toothpaste that expired 15 years prior.
EXCLUSIVE: Brittney Griner tells @robinroberts about the guilt she felt after she was arrested in Russia: “I let everybody down.”
“Prisoner in Russia: The Brittney Griner interview" airs tonight on ABC 20/20 and later on Hulu. #BrittneyGrinerOnABC pic.twitter.com/2AOpffqdl4
— Good Morning America (@GMA) May 1, 2024
“We used to put (the toothpaste) on the black mold to kill the mold on the walls,” she said.
Griner attributed the cartridges being in her bag to a mental lapse, comparing it to forgetting one’s keys.
“I would say, have you ever forgot your keys in your car?” she remarked. “Where’s my glasses? They’re on top of your head. Where’s my phone? Oh, it’s in my pocket. It’s just so easy to have a mental lapse. Granted, my mental lapse was on a more grand scale, but it doesn’t take away from how that can happen.”
Fans Have No Sympathy For Brittney Griner
The reaction to Brittney Griner reliving her struggles in Russia has been overly negative.
“Boo-hoo, I don’t care about this sad story. She should have known and done better,” a Twitter/X user commented. “This is not misplacing your phone. You cost the country by having to do a prisoner swap. Shame on you.”
“Don’t do the crime, if you can’t do the time. Griner sure looks and sounds like a dude,” wrote another.
“I hope you do a story on the American being detained for forgetting he had ammunition in his bag in Turks and Caicos. Same type of “mental lapse,” right? So why does this person get so much sympathy…” another wondered.
You can see some more reactions below:
Brittany thinks smuggling drugs into Russia is the same as forgetting where you put your keys. Does she get called out for it, NO!
— Reality of life (@1RealworldTruth) May 1, 2024
No amount of preview reruns of this interview will get me to watch it. This is a shameless promo for a book.
No amount of preview reruns of this interview will get me to watch it. This is a shameless promo for a book.
— Louie (@Draw4ever) May 1, 2024
We will all be watching. It was a terrifying horrible mistake. Just like some Americans accidentally had a couple stray bullets but no weapon and are no in jail in Turks. I believe in Brittney 100%. https://t.co/yI14GgNUxr
— LESLIE SCOTT (@Leslieannscott) May 1, 2024
Apart from detailing her ordeal on ABC, Griner will share a lot more in a book called ‘Coming Home,’ which is set to launch on May 7.
