Total Pro Sports
During a deep conversation with former NFL quarterback Cam Newton, Atlanta Dream center Brittney Griner opened up about her imprisonment in Russia.
In Feb. 2022, Brittney Griner was arrested at the Sheremetyevo International Airport in Moscow for carrying less than a gram of hash oil, which is illegal in Russia. Six months later, she was sentenced to nine years in prison.
But in Dec. 2022, U.S. President Joe Biden and reached an agreement on a prisoner swap with Russian authorities. Griner was allowed to return to the United States, with convicted arms dealer Viktor Bout sent back to Russia.
Griner opened up about her imprisonment overseas in an appearance on Cam Newton’s “Funky Friday” podcast. Griner noticed that
“I felt worse than a d*** stray dog. At least a stray dog get some food every now and again. Like get something. I didn’t feel like a human. Trying to be strong, I got a little Sudoku book that I had with me when they took me. So I’m writing in it, like I knew what day it was. So I would write the date and I would write a little something like how I’m feeling.”
Griner explained that there were feces and urine in the prison, and that she had cut up one of her shirts to use as a towel.
Brittney Griner opens up to Cam Newton about the time she was jailed in Russia for cannabis cartridges pic.twitter.com/c05AsXOo5Y
— FearBuck (@FearedBuck) July 19, 2025
You can watch the full interview between Griner and Cam Newton below:
The 34-year-old Brittney Griner and her wife, Cherelle Watson, became parents last July when the latter gave birth to a son. After missing the entire 2022 season, Griner returned to the Phoenix Mercury and earned her ninth career All-Star selection.
After spending her first 11 games with the Mercury, Griner signed with the Atlanta Dream in free agency. The future Hall of Famer has been an excellent addition for Atlanta, averaging 10.3 points and 5.8 rebounds per game.
The Dream hold the fifth-best record in the WNBA at 13-9, though they’re just two games behind Phoenix for the No. 3 seed.
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