Cherelle Griner, the wife of Brittney Griner, recently appeared on The View to share her thoughts on the Olympian’s denied appeal by a Russian court.
“I understand being in the field of law that every state, every country has their own rules, but this is just absurd,” said Cherelle, 30. “The crime and the punishment is disproportionate at its finest […] There are people convicted of murder in Russia who [have] a sentence way less than [my wife], and it just makes absolutely no sense to me.”
She later told the co-hosts the denied appeal left her in “complete disbelief.”
“That was the complete end of it. There’s nothing more to expect from a legal standpoint, and all eggs are in the basket, you know, for our government and for America to see how important this issue is,” the lawyer and former teacher continued. “This could happen to anybody, and we should be praying that we have a country that recognizes the importance of that and are willing to actually go get our Americans and bring them back home.”
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Though she and her wife have only spoken three times during the athlete’s eight-month detainment, Cherelle is encouraging fans to continue to uplift the WNBA star through the “We Are BG” letter-writing campaign.
“Her mental is not there. So, for me, I believe words make a big difference […] Just remind her she is freaking important and impossible to forget. Be her strength for her right now, because she doesn’t have it,” she stated about her wife.
Brittney was sentenced to nine years in a Russian prison after being found guilty of criminal intent, as well as smuggling and storing illegal drugs. Without an appeal, the 32-year-old is expected to serve out her sentence in a penal colony labor camp, according to ABC News.
Watch Cherelle’s full interview below.
