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Brittney Griner’s wife, Cherelle, has opened up about the couple ‘beginning their journey to heal’ in her first social media post since the WNBA star was released from a Russian prison camp on Friday.
Four days ago, Griner landed back in San Antonio, Texas, after a trade-for-trade deal was agreed to free Russian prisoner and arms dealer Viktor Bout. Before his release, Bout had spent 11 years behind bars in the United States.
Griner was arrested in Moscow in February for illegal possession of cannabis oil. Negotiations for the release of the center took place in the United Arab Emirates on Thursday with the help of the country’s President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Brittney Griner’s wife, Cherelle, took to Instagram to thank everyone who helped secure the WNBA star’s release from a Russian penal colony last week.
Brittney Griner is seen back on US soil after landing in San Antonio, Texas on Friday. The center was arrested in Moscow in February for possession of cannabis oil, an illegal drug in Russia.
Cherelle (left) and Brittney (right) first met at Baylor University, where the athlete played college basketball, before becoming a couple.
Cherelle Griner has now shared a collage of photos on Instagram, thanking everyone involved in helping with her wife’s return home as they now begin to recover from the trauma they have faced over the last 10 months.
‘Yesterday my heart recovered thanks to the collective efforts of MANY! I am humbled by your hearts. Caring for another, a stranger to some, a friend to some, is humanity in its purest form,” he wrote.
‘As BG and I began our journey to heal our minds, bodies and spirits, I wanted to personally thank a few of the hands; seen and unseen, that helped make it possible for me to see my wife again!’
The couple tied the knot in 2019 after Brittney proposed to Cherelle. Pictured in October 2021
CBS News’ Gayle King (left) revealed that Cherelle (right) was on “cloud nine” after learning Brittney was coming home.
In her Instagram post, Cherelle thanked Arizona Congressman Greg Stanton, who called on the government to immediately release Brittney Griner in June.
The couple met while they were both studying at Baylor University in Texas. They didn’t date until a few years after Brittney split from his now-ex-wife Glory Johnson in 2016. The couple married in 2019 after Brittney proposed to Cherelle.
The athlete’s wife thanked a long list of names, including friends, politicians, celebrities, businessmen, athletes and human rights defenders who contributed to Griner’s freedom.
DailyMail.com also previously covered the moment US President Joe Biden tells Cherelle that the WNBA star is finally coming home before the couple embrace inside the Oval Office.
On Friday, the Biden administration announced Griner’s release while Cherelle was in the White House.
‘I appreciate each and every one of you! Let’s keep using our hands, voices, platforms and resources to bring Paul and all Americans home,” his Instagram post read, referring to the release of American spy Paul Whelan, who is still serving a 16-year prison sentence in Russia. . . ‘All families deserve to be complete!’
Since her wife’s release, Cherelle has told CBS News’ Gayle King about her reaction when she learned her partner was coming home.
“She’s still on cloud nine,” King said. “She said, ‘Gayle…I’m smiling so hard my face hurts.'”
The United States is “still negotiating” Whelan’s release in separate talks, after Kremlin officials stood firm on releasing Griner only for Bout.