By Roz Edward
Brittney Griner has spoken out for the first time since she was released from Russian prison.
According to Error! Hyperlink reference not valid., Griner took to Instagram on Friday (December 16), thanking her supporters and crediting her faith for helping her make it through the nearly 10-month detainment in Russia.
“It feels so good to be home! The last 10 months have been a battle at every turn,” Griner captioned her Instagram post. “I dug deep to keep my faith and it was the love from so many of you that helped keep me going. From the bottom of my heart, thank you to everyone for your help.”
The post included a photo of her exiting a plane at Fort Hood earlier this month after the U.S. successfully negotiated a 1-for-1 prisoner swap involving Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout. Griner also included a picture of her wife, Cherelle.
The WNBA star specifically thanked President Joe Biden for negotiating her release but urged the administration to continue to work to bring jailed American and former marine Paul Whelan home from Russia.
“President Biden, you brought me home and I know you are committed to bringing Paul Whelan and all Americans home too,” she wrote on Instagram. “I will use my platform to do whatever I can to help you. I also encourage everyone that played a part in bringing me home to continue their efforts to bring all Americans home. Every family deserves to be whole.”
Griner also shared plans to jump back into WNBA play this upcoming season.
“I also want to make one thing very clear: I intend to play basketball for the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury this season, and in doing so, I look forward to being able to say, ‘thank you’ to those of you who advocated, wrote, and posted for me in person soon,” Griner said.
