'Not On The Merits': Baylor’s Brittney Griner Has Russian Detention Extended
Former Baylor Bears women's basketball superstar Brittney Griner appeared in a Russian court for preliminary hearings on Monday, where it was decided that her trial would begin on July 1.
However, that was not the only news on the day for Griner, who has now also been ordered by the court to remain under Russian custody for the next six months.
Before the hearing, Griner's pretrial detention was set to expire on July 2.
Following the rulings in the hearing, Griner's agent, Lindsay Kagawa Colas, released a statement on Twitter.
“Today’s hearing was administrative in nature and not on the merits,” Colas said. “That said, the fact remains that the U.S. Government has determined that Brittney Griner is wrongfully detained and being used as a political pawn. The negotiation for her immediate release regardless of the legal proceedings should remain a top priority and we expect @POTUS and @VP to do everything in their power, right now, to get a deal done to bring her home.”
Griner was detained by the Russian government on February 17, after allegedly being found to be in possession of cannabis oil vap cartridges at Sheremetyevo International Airport in Moscow.
She is now being charged with large-scale transportation of drugs, and if convicted, could spend up to as many as 10 years in a Russian prison.
Griner has now been in custody for over 100 days.
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Matt Galatzan the Editor-In-Chief of InsideTheBears.com, TheGroveReport.com, RamDigest.com, AllSeahawks.com, and TexansDaily.com. Galatzan graduated from the University of Mississippi, where he studied integrated marketing communications, with minors in journalism and business administration. Galatzan started in the sports journalism industry under Mike Fisher at DallasBasketball.com in 2014, which at the time was part of the 247Sports network. He also spent two years covering the SMU Mustangs for PonyStampede.com on the 247Sports network. When DallasBasketball.com and CowboysCountry.com moved over to Sports Illustrated's Fan Nation network in 2020, Galatzan followed suit, eventually being taking over as the Managing Editor and Publisher of LonghornsCountry.com and AllAggies.com a year later. Through the years, Galatzan has conducted a handful of high-profile one-on-one interviews to add to his resume — in both writing and podcasting. Some of his biggest interviews have been with Mavs owner Mark Cuban, former Longhorns players Dan Neil and Phil Dawson, and many other recruits, and current/former players for each of the teams he has covered. Galatzan is also a full-time employee in the digital media department for Audacy and KRLD FM's 105.3 The Fan in Dallas, which is the official radio home of the Dallas Cowboys. You can find Galatzan on all major social media channels. For any inquiries, please email matt.galatzan@gmail.com