Brittney Griner was dealt a big blow by the Russian judicial system on Thursday, but the harsh ruling could lead to a quicker return home.
The 31-year-old WNBA star was sentenced to nine years in Russian prison for drug possession and smuggling after bringing vape cartridges and cannabis oil into the country on Feb. 17. Griner went to Russia to play for the UMMC Ekaterinburg, a women's basketball team, but was arrested instead.
The sentencing could be a step in the right direction for ending the fiasco according to ESPN's T.J. Quinn. The staff writer claims her sentencing was an "expected conclusion to her trial that should allow negotiations for a prisoner swap to accelerate."
Griner previously pleaded guilty, another step that will help in the potential prisoner swap needed to bring her home.
"Griner's strategy throughout the trial was to treat it as a legitimate proceeding, knowing a guilty verdict was a foregone conclusion and that any deal to send her home would require an admission of guilt," Quinn wrote.
Quinn wasn't the only one to point out that this likely means more than meets the eye. An anonymous former White House staffer tweeted an extreme sentence was designed to create more leverage in negotiations with the United States.
With those aspects of the seemingly never-ending ordeal complete, her process of returning home can move forward, hopefully to the final stages.
