WNBA star Brittney Griner revealed that she contemplated suicide during the initial weeks of her incarceration in a Russian jail following her arrest in 2022 on drug-related charges. Griner shared her experience of the months-long detention in Russia during an interview broadcasted on ABC on Wednesday night, May 1st.
Her memoir, titled “Coming Home,” is scheduled for release on May 7th.
Griner was apprehended upon her arrival at a Moscow airport following the discovery by Russian authorities of vape cartridges in her luggage, which they claimed allegedly contained cannabis-derived oil.
“I wanted to take my life more than once in the first weeks,” Griner told interviewer Robin Roberts. “I felt like leaving here so badly.”
She chose not to follow through with suicide, partly out of fear that Russian authorities would not release her body to her family. Her ordeal coincided with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, escalating tensions between Russia and the U.S. It only came to an end after her release, which was secured through a swap involving Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.
Prior to her release, Griner recounted being compelled to write a letter addressed to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“They made me write this letter. It was in Russian,” she said. “I had to ask for forgiveness and thanks from their so-called great leader. I didn’t want to do it, but at the same time I wanted to come home.”
Upon boarding the plane for her exchange, Griner experienced disappointment when she realized that Paul Whelan, another American detainee in Russia, was not accompanying her.
“I walked on and didn’t see him, maybe he’s next. Maybe they will bring him next,” she said. “They closed the door and I was like, are you serious? You’re not going to let this man come home now.”
