Last Updated on: 9th December 2022, 08:43 pm
Who is Cherelle Griner? Biography, Wiki
Cherelle Griner, a wife of Brittney Griner, says her “family is whole again” since the WNBA star was released from Russian custody.
Cherelle said at a news conference hosted by Joe Biden at the White House on Thursday, shortly after learning that 32-year-old Brittney had been released from Russian custody in a prisoner swap for a convicted arms dealer.
Cherelle Griner Age
Her current age isn’t known yet.
Brittney Griner Wife Reunited With Family
“So over the past nine months you have all been aware of one of the darkest moments of my life which is why I stand here today and am overcome with emotion, but the darkest emotion I have right now is just a heartfelt one. Gratitude to President Biden and his entire administration,” he began.
Noting that Biden, 80, had previously mentioned that the repatriation of a US citizen detained abroad “is not easy,” Cherelle continued, “There were so many hands involved, so I want to take a moment, to mention a few specifically.”
Cherelle then continued, “Today, my family is complete, but as you all know, there are many other families that are not complete,” including Vice President Kamala Harris and the other players on Griner’s Phoenix Mercury basketball team.
He went on to mention Paul Whelan, another American still imprisoned in Russia who has been banned from dealing in Griner.
“Thank you all for your support and today is a happy day for me and my family so I’m going to smile now,” Cherelle added. “Many Thanks.”
According to a US official quoted by CBS News, Griner, who had been sentenced to nine years in a Russian prison for drug trafficking, was released Thursday in a prisoner swap for international arms dealer Viktor Bout.
Five former US officials told the outlet that the Griner-Bout swap deal had just been negotiated with Moscow and received final approval from Biden last Thursday.
Biden tweeted the following before speaking at the same press conference as Cherelle: “Just had a chat with Brittney Griner. She is safe. She’s in the air. He comes home “with pictures of Cherelle, 58, Harris, and himself.
On August 10, Griner was sentenced to nine years in prison, just under the maximum sentence of ten years. At the time, Griner’s lawyers told PEOPLE in a statement that the verdict was “absolutely unreasonable” and that they would “certainly appeal” if necessary.
Biden expressed his delight at Griner’s rescue from a Russian prison in his remarks Thursday morning. Biden turned to Harris and Cherelle as he stood in front of them and said, “Good morning folks and it’s a good day.”
“I recently spoke to Brittney Griner when she and her wife, Cherelle, were in the Oval Office. After months of being unjustly detained in Russia and being held in appalling conditions, she is safe, on a plane and returning home,” he continued.
“Brittney will be back in the arms of loved ones soon, and she should have been there all along,” Biden added.
“This is a day we have been working towards for a long time. We have never stopped pushing for his release. These have been careful and intense negotiations and I would like to thank all the officials in my government who worked tirelessly to secure his release.”
“He immediately said ‘thank you’. ‘Brittney ended up in the United Arab Emirates so they helped us organize her return. Brittney and Cherelle, along with all their family and all their teammates at home, have had a terrible few months,” he said.
Biden later said Griner would return to the United States “within the next 24 hours.”