WATCH: WNBA Players Association President on Brittney Griner
As a seven-time WNBA All-Star Brittney Griner Entering its 54th day of detention in Russia, the WNBA Players Association has a new message amid concerns about her safety and mental health.
Nneka Ogwumike, president of the WNBA Players’ Association, joined “Good Morning America” Tuesday to shed new light on Griner’s detention and explain the general mood among her fellow WNBA players.
“We moved intentionally and given the nature of Brittney’s situation, it was very important for us to do our best to make sure we didn’t jeopardize her coming home,” Ogwumike told Robin Roberts in an interview exclusive. “A lot of it was about educating ourselves on the details of what was happening. As much as we could find out. But then understanding how important it was for us to be strategic about when and how that we were talking about her.”
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 a video showing Griner going through security at an airport near Moscow and an airport employee removing a package from his bag. Griner possessed vape cartridges containing hash oil – a crime punishable in Russia by up to 10 years in prison – according to Russian state media.
“It’s tough, it could have been our case,” said Ogwumike, who also played overseas in the offseason. “We’re really, really concerned about her health and safety. Especially her mental health. We’re hearing that…she’s doing well. But we want her to come home.”
the reality is that she is there because of a gender problem, of salary inequality
In a statement, the US State Department told ABC News: “We are closely engaged in this matter and in frequent contact with Ms. Griner’s legal team,” adding that Griner has not received a consular visit since on March 23 but that she was “in good condition”. condition.”
“The consular officer who visited Brittney Griner was able to verify that she is doing as well as could be expected in these very difficult circumstances,” said Ned Price, a State Department spokesman. .
Ogwumike said she believes there is a gender issue at play in Griner’s case.
“When is this not the case? It is disappointing that the question of whether it is a gender issue is a priority now when it comes to these types of circumstances and the reality is that she is there because of a gender issue, of pay inequity,” she said. “I played four years in Russia, one year in Poland and two years in China. We go there to supplement our income and frankly to maintain our game. Our teams encourage us to follow our game by going further there. -down and be more competitive. There’s so much at stake that, you know, we live inherently politically.
The highest salary in the WNBA is $228,000, while star players in the NBA can earn over $1 million per year.
While Ogwumike said “we’re 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 out there to get what we want.” to get back home. »
On Monday night, WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert immediately addressed Griner’s situation overseas during the WNBA draft and called his freedom a top priority.
“Before we turn to tonight’s events, I want to take a moment to reiterate the WNBA’s support for Phoenix Mercury star Brittney Griner. Please know that getting her home safely continues to be our top priority.” , she said.
