Brittney Griner court appearance ends without a verdict; another hearing is scheduled for Friday
(CNN) — WNBA star Brittney Griner‘s hearing in a court outside Moscow ended Thursday without a verdict, and a fourth hearing in her trial was scheduled for Friday morning, a US official familiar with the matter said.
She is expected to appear in court at 10 a.m. (3 a.m. ET), the official said.
Griner was back in court Thursday, a week after pleading guilty to drug charges. The US State Department has said she is being wrongfully detained.
Full details of the hearing were not immediately available, but one of Griner’s attorneys, Maria Blagovolina, said in a statement that the director of BC UMMC Ekaterinburg, the team for which Griner played in western Russia, spoke on her behalf.
Maxim Ryabkov “gave a positive description of Brittney Griner during his speech in court, noting her outstanding abilities as a player and personal contribution to strengthening the team spirit, which allowed the team to achieve the highest results in the Russian basketball premier league and in international competitions for many years,” the statement said.
Griner’s legal team was expected to call character witnesses and request leniency as Griner faces a sentence of up to 10 years in prison. Elizabeth Rood, chargé d’affaires of the US Embassy, attended the hearing.
The two-time US Olympics basketball gold medalist was arrested February 17 at a Moscow airport, a week before Russia invaded Ukraine. Russian authorities claimed she had cannabis oil in her luggage and accused her of smuggling significant amounts of a narcotic substance.
Thursday’s hearing came as many in the WNBA, along with other athletes, coaches and politicians, have called for Griner’s release over fears she is being used as a political pawn amid the war in Ukraine.
Griner wrote a letter to President Joe Biden that was delivered to the White House this month, saying she fears she will be detained in Russia indefinitely.
“I realize you are dealing with so much, but please don’t forget about me and the other American Detainees. Please do all you can to bring us home,” Griner wrote. “I voted for the first time in 2020 and I voted for you. I believe in you. I still have so much good to do with my freedom that you can help restore.”
Griner admitted guilt at her last hearing but told the court that she had not intended to commit a crime, state news agency RIA Novosti reported.
Griner’s lawyers hope the court will take into account the 31-year-old athlete’s guilty plea, Alexander Boykov and Blagovolina told journalists last week.
Samples taken from Griner did not show any traces of drugs, Boykov added: “She was clean, and she was tested.”
It was Griner’s decision to plead guilty, her legal team said, adding that she “sets an example of being brave.”
“She decided to take full responsibility for her actions as she knows that she is a role model for many people,” their statement read.
“Considering the nature of her case, the insignificant amount of the substance and BG’s personality and history of positive contributions to global and Russian sport, the defense hopes that the plea will be considered by the court as a mitigating factor and there will be no severe sentence.”
The 6-foot-9 Houston native is one of the most decorated players in basketball. In addition to Griner’s Olympic gold medals, she has won two world championships, a WNBA championship and an NCAA championship. She has twice been crowned the WNBA’s scoring champ and the league’s defensive player of the year, and was voted onto seven all-star teams before her detention. She was named an honorary all-star in this year’s contest earlier this month.