President Joe Biden called her imprisonment “unacceptable” and called for her immediate release. Judge Anna Sotnikova said Griner’s time in custody since her February arrest will count toward the sentence. Griner reacted to the term with little emotion and listened to the verdict with a blank look on her face as the judge handed down her sentence and fined the basketball player 1 million rubles (£13,435). Image: Griner pictured behind bars on the dock Biden said in a statement: “Today, American citizen Brittney Griner received a prison sentence that is yet another reminder of what the world already knew: Russia is wrongfully holding Brittney. “It is unacceptable and I call on Russia to release her immediately to be with her wife, loved ones, friends and teammates.” The 31-year-old was arrested at Moscow airport on February 17 after police said they found vapor containers containing cannabis oil in her luggage. She pleaded guilty to the charges and before the verdict was handed down Thursday, Griner told the court she had no intention of breaking the law when she flew to Russia to play basketball in the city of Yekaterinburg. Image: Griner was part of the winning 2012 NCAA women’s basketball championship. Photo: AP “I want to apologize to my teammates, my club, my fans and the city (of Yekaterinburg) for my mistake and the embarrassment I caused them,” Griner said, her voice cracking. “I also want to apologize to my parents, my siblings, the Phoenix Mercury organization back home, the amazing women of the WNBA and my amazing husband back home. “I made an honest mistake and I hope that, with your decision, my life will not end here.” Summarizing the evidence and delivering her findings, the judge said the Phoenix Mercury player had smuggled drugs into Russia illegally. Image: Griner cuts a piece of the net after the Baylor Bears beat the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in Denver in 2012 Griner’s lawyer said he would appeal the sentence, adding that the court ignored the evidence they had presented as well as the guilty plea. They said they were “disappointed” by the verdict. The Russian prosecutor had requested that the two-time Olympic gold medalist be sentenced to nine and a half years in prison. Griner said, “I love my family,” as she was led out of the courtroom in handcuffs. After the verdict, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the conviction “extends the injustice of her wrongful detention”, with the White House national security spokesman adding that Mr Blinken would try to talk to his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov. He previously proposed a high-risk prisoner swap that could see Griner and Paul Whelan, another American jailed in Russia on espionage charges, released. Russian officials have criticized US statements on the case, saying a potential deal should be negotiated through “quiet diplomacy without disclosure of speculative information”. The WNBA and NBA described the sentencing as “unwarranted and unfortunate, but not unexpected.” “The commitment of the WNBA and the NBA to her safe return has not wavered, and we are hopeful that we are nearing the end of this process to finally bring BG home to the United States,” the basketball leagues said in a joint statement.
