WNBA player Brittney Griner was found guilty of drug possession and smuggling Thursday and was sentenced to nine years in prison by a Russian judge.
The Phoenix Mercury center was arrested at a Moscow-area airport on Feb. 17 after cannabis-infused vape cartridges were found in her suitcase.
Last month, Griner entered a guilty plea but said she did not intentionally bring the banned substance to Russia.
Prior to the sentencing, Griner apologized to the courts Thursday and pleaded for leniency.
“I made an honest mistake, and I hope in your ruling it does not end my life,” she said.
“I want to apologize to my teammates, my club, my fans, and the city of (Yekaterinburg) for my mistake that I made and the embarrassment that I brought on them,” Griner said. “I want to also apologize to my parents, my siblings, the Phoenix Mercury organization back at home, the amazing women of the WNBA, and my amazing spouse back at home.”
The Biden administration previously offered to release notorious arms dealer Viktor Bout in exchange for Griner and her fellow American prisoner Paul Whelan, even though the Kremlin reportedly stated that releasing just one Russian prisoner wouldn’t be good enough.
Griner’s defense presented proof that her physician had cleared her for cannabis oil use for chronic pain, and a forensic expert called by her defense said the cartridges used to charge her were not in compliance with the law.
During her testimony, Griner also stated that an interpreter failed to translate and explain what the documents she was forced to sign were actually about.
