For the past two months, people have been low-key. The wise course was to work quietly and behind the scenes to get the basketball star out of her Russian prison as soon as possible, so as not to upset the authoritarian who was behind the assault on Ukraine.
It hasn't worked.
She was accused of having cannabis oil in her luggage at the airport. Putin's power is also served by her detention. The American and Olympian embodies many characteristics that he has tried to suppress in Russia.
In the years since she came out, the 6-foot-9 center has spoken about how she has felt misunderstood and has endorsements, including Nike. Even if she wanted to be invisible, she is impossible to ignore. She's too famous, too tall, too unique to be mistaken.
This is an unimaginable situation for her and she has our full support. We are trying everything we can, working with her legal representation, her agent, elected leaders and the administration. Everyone in the system is trying to find a way to get her home safely.
The judicial system in Russia is independent. Navalny is a prisoner of conscience because he was convicted of swindling in trials that international watchdogs have declared flawed. He was poisoned with a nerve agent in 2020 and the western governments imposed sanctions on Russia.
Navalny was sentenced to additional years in prison.
The government doesn't have a problem with making an example of a popular figure, and those trying to free him are aware of that. At some point, you have to admit that quiet diplomacy has not been effective, and several in the inner circle of Griner spoke out clearly on his plight earlier this week.
Basketball players spend the off season abroad. They play in many different countries over the course of their career. The fans are interested, the money is good, and the paycheck balances out what has traditionally been sub-par wages. The money has increased since the last CBA was agreed to.
The stability of a world that allowed that kind of travel is changing. Visitors to Russia must follow local laws. As the U.S. discussed imposing tougher economic sanctions on Russia, the arrest of Griner seemed like a politically motivated gotcha. The New York Times headline was "Ukraine Tensions Spike as West Accuses Russia of Lying About Troop Withdrawal", at the moment of the Olympics.
There used to be a time when a player with a size 17 shoe and a killer block could choose her team. The world is getting smaller for those players. Safety is an issue that goes well beyond walking home alone at night. It is hard to imagine that the ability to travel freely might be limited.
We have seen the plight of the Chinese tennis player, who was restricted from leaving her home after she posted on social media that a Chinese official had been sexually inappropriate with her. During the Beijing Olympics, Shuai was kept out of the public eye and was heavily chaperoned. Deadspin was told by the WTA that they have not been allowed to speak with Shuai.
Before severing economic ties with China, the WTA also approached the issue cautiously, and sponsors tournaments in the country. It was a deeply ethical stand. How could a league that supported women start by watching a player who was unable to speak and move freely?
The situation that could be quietly resolved by league officials and agents is not likely to happen in the case of Griner.
The rules of engagement are different. The diplomatic niceties need to be followed. The show of strength her continued imprisonment sends instead outweighs the message that the freeing of Griner would send to an international audience. Quietly asking won't change that.
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