What triggered Brittney Griner suicide thoughts while in jail

• The WNBA player spent 10 months in a Russian jail following her arrest at an airport in Moscow on February 17, 2022
• She was detained incognito for over a month after Russian authorities found her in possession of vape cartridges
• Vape is not allowed in Russia as it contains Cannabis oil

Brittney Griner suicide thoughts as she revealed in May painted an image of a human soul giving up on life.

The WNBA player spent 10 months in a Russian jail following her arrest at an airport in Moscow on February 17, 2022. She was detained incognito for over a month after Russian authorities found her in possession of vape cartridges.

Vape is not allowed in Russia as it contains Cannabis oil which is a first-grade illegal drug under Russian law.

Brittney Griner Suicide Thoughts

In yet another revelation of her hard times in detention, the Phoenix Mercury player revealed that she contemplated ending her life. Being held for weeks without anyone knowing her whereabouts made it so hard for her.

Moreover, being held in a Russian jail where no one understood English triggered Brittney Griner suicide thoughts.  Moreover, her prison cell did not have essential items such as toilet paper and soap.

Her tiny mattress was dirty and had a big, visible blood stain which always made her feel so devalued. The first weeks were the hardest and she fought hard not to commit suicide.

Brittney Griner. Photo/The Sentinel-Record

“I wanted to take my life more than once in the first weeks,” she said during an interview with ABC News. Griner ultimately decided against this out of concern that the Russian authorities would not allow her body to be returned to her family.

She further asserted that Russian authorities view same-s3x marriage as a mental condition. Thus, she had to undergo a psychiatric evaluation following her arrest and was concerned about being committed to a mental institution.

Griner is married to Cherelle Watson a mathematics instructor. She is also a law and political science graduate. They met at Baylor University but did not date immediately.

Back to Brittney Griner suicide thoughts, she added that getting medical attention while in jail was difficult. A fellow prisoner warned her stating that herpes and HIV were prevalent in that jail and mostly spread through the infirmary.

Unlucky for her, she developed an infection in her eye and had to seek medical attention. She would later come to know that she was attended to by a veterinary doctor and not a medical doctor.

How Was Brittney Grinner Released?

The US government engaged Russia in diplomatic talks for Griner’s release.  But not before the talks stalled halfway and her apologizing to President Vladmir Putin. She wrote it in Russian asking for pardon for entering Moscow with cannabis oil.

She confessed that she didn’t want to write the letter but her release was more important than her pride.

Brittney Griner. Photo/Bloomberg

However, her eventual release came after negotiations between the U.S. and Russian governments on December 8, 2022. Russia and the US government agreed to a prisoner swap deal.

Viktor Bout, an infamous Russian arms dealer known as “the Merchant of Death” who was serving a 25-year term in the United States, was swapped to buy Griner’s freedom. It was widely expected that Russia would also set free another American, Paul Whelan, who was also imprisoned in Moscow.

Whelan was captured and jailed on alleged spy charges. Russia refused to free him in exchange for Bout. A nine-year jail term exacerbated Brittney Griner suicide thoughts later on. On July 7, despite the fact that the case was still pending under Russian law, Griner submitted a guilty plea. It was generally accepted that she would be found guilty of possessing drugs.

Judge Anna Sotnikova on August 4, 2022, sentenced the Phoenix Mercury player to nine years in prison. She was also fined one million roubles by the judge—roughly $16,700. The judge said in her judgment that Griner broke the law with knowledge. Her attorneys later filed an appeal.

Since her release, she vowed never to play basketball outside the US unless she is playing for the national teams.