After release from Russian custody, focus is on providing Brittney Griner and her family additional support, officials say - CNN

CNN  — 

After being imprisoned successful Russia for astir 10 months, WNBA prima Brittney Griner’s harmless instrumentality to the US on Friday was marked by a halt astatine a Texas subject aesculapian installation for a regular evaluation, the US State Department said.

Griner arrived astatine Brooke Army Medical Center successful San Antonio, Texas, aboriginal Friday – the adjacent limb of a travel back connected American soil pursuing what the US authorities described arsenic wrongful detainment that had often near her household and loved ones with small accusation oregon consolation.

“We are present focused connected ensuring that Brittney and her family’s well-being are prioritized and that each disposable assistance tin beryllium offered to them done an due manner,” US State Department main lawman spokesperson Vedant Patel said astatine a quality briefing Friday.

Officials person not specified for however agelong Griner volition beryllium astatine the aesculapian center, but the hoops prima was “in bully spirits” and “incredibly gracious” pursuing her release, National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told CNN.

Griner, who was arrested astatine a Moscow airdrome successful February connected cause charges and aboriginal sentenced to 9 years successful prison, was released arsenic portion of a captive speech betwixt the US and Russia for notorious convicted arms trader Viktor Bout.

The swap, which took months to negociate and has drawn mixed absorption successful the US for not besides including chap detainee Paul Whelan, occurred astatine an airdrome tarmac successful Abu Dhabi connected Thursday.

Shortly aft the swap was successfully completed, US officials connected Griner to her family. That telephone “was arsenic moving arsenic it was unforgettable” to perceive Griner talk connected the telephone with her wife, Cherelle, who was contiguous for an Oval Office meeting, Secretary of State Tony Blinken said.

“Their strength, their resilience, has been thing but abbreviated of inspiring,” Blinken said.

Texas Democratic Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee told CNN Griner was capable to telephone her begetter from the plane.

“They each privation to spot her and mightiness adjacent privation to spot her backmost present astatine home, but I cognize that was a blessed telephone reunion to perceive his daughter’s voice,” she said.

Jackson Lee – who represents the 18th Congressional District of Texas including Griner’s hometown of Houston – said aspects of the two-time Olympian’s existent payment “have to beryllium reviewed.”

“We perceive that she has spoken to her household members here, she sounded good, looking guardant to seeing them, and we besides cognize that she walked connected her ain capabilities some successful presumption of the swap and past erstwhile she landed successful San Antonio.”

In a statement, Griner’s household thanked President Joe Biden and the administration, on with erstwhile New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, whose Richardson Center worked connected behalf of the household to assistance guarantee Griner’s merchandise and is trying to travel suit for Whelan.

“We sincerely convey you each for the benignant words, thoughts and prayers – including Paul and the Whelan household who person been generous with their enactment for Brittney and our household during what we cognize is simply a heartbreaking time,” the connection said.

“We commune for Paul and for the swift and harmless instrumentality of each wrongfully-detained Americans.”

While galore are celebrating Griner’s instrumentality location – seen arsenic a diplomatic triumph betwixt 2 of the world’s largest nations astatine fierce likelihood implicit Russia’s penetration of Ukraine – the destiny of Whelan’s merchandise remains unclear.

Whelan – a US, Irish, British and Canadian national – is presently imprisoned successful a Russian penal colony aft helium was arrested successful December 2018 connected espionage charges, which helium has denied. He was sentenced to 16 years successful prison. He, similar Griner, had been declared wrongfully detained by US officials.

The US tried to transportation Russia to swap some Griner and Whelan for arms trader Bout, but Russian officials would not budge connected the matter, with Russia saying some of the Americans’ cases were handled otherwise based connected the charges each of them faced.

In an interrogation with CNN, Whelan expressed his disappointment successful however the negotiations went.

“This is simply a precarious concern that needs to beryllium resolved quickly,” Whelan told CNN successful a telephone interview. “I would anticipation that (Biden) and his medication would bash everything they could to get maine home, careless of the terms they mightiness person to wage astatine this point.”

Biden insisted that his medication continues its efforts to bring Whelan home.

“This was not a prime of which American to bring home,” Biden said Thursday. “Sadly, for wholly illegitimate reasons, Russia is treating Paul’s lawsuit otherwise than Brittney’s. And portion we person not yet succeeded successful securing Paul’s release, we are not giving up. We volition ne'er springiness up.”

Paul Whelan’s sister, Elizabeth Whelan, told CNN’s Erin Burnett connected Friday that the nationalist treatment surrounding a imaginable swap has “been precise hard for my household to hear,” adding she believes her member is being “discussed arsenic if his lone worth was what we would person to springiness up for him.”

Asked astir her family’s discussions with the US authorities regarding her brother’s imprisonment, Elizabeth Whelan said, “I deliberation we’ve made it beauteous wide – that arsenic acold arsenic I’m concerned, astatine slightest – my member is worthy more, has a greater worth than immoderate Russian criminal.”

Griner’s detention and consequent instrumentality location has erstwhile again spotlighted the wage disparity women athletes look successful the US – which has pushed WNBA players to spell overseas to gain much during their off-seasons, including countries specified arsenic Russia.

WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert told CNN Friday evening that though efforts person been ongoing to summation the pay, there’s inactive a agelong mode to go.

“For excessively agelong women sports person been undervalued, under-invested in,” said Engelbert, who noted that little than 1% of each firm sponsorship backing goes to women’s sports.

Engelbert besides pointed retired that the WNBA is simply a reasonably young sports league, which was established successful 1996. Still, she added the enactment is moving connected a three-to-five-year program to thrust up players’ pay.

“We’re chipping distant arsenic we commencement to turn and physique existent momentum,” she said.

And arsenic those changes are dilatory underway, Engelbert said she believes players volition proceed to play overseas, particularly due to the fact that the mean tenure successful the WNBA is astir 5 years.

“We’re ne'er going to preclude them from making much wealth successful leagues extracurricular the US during our offseason. What we privation is them to travel and play astatine the highest level erstwhile they’re backmost present astatine home.”

Angel McCoughtry, a person of Griner’s who besides played successful the Olympics and WNBA, played for a Russian nine arsenic good during her offseason and acknowledged that she earned much there. But she besides said she would not instrumentality considering however Griner was treated.

“Russia was a spot that paid america a batch of wealth for our talent, much than being present successful our ain country,” McCoughtry told CNN connected Friday. “It’s bittersweet to accidental I’m affluent not due to the fact that of the WNBA, but my years overseas. I would marque my WNBA wage successful 1 period overseas – my full salary”

McCoughtry said it’s imaginable for WNBA players to gain much if they person the level of promotion their antheral counterparts do.

“If you beforehand the women conscionable similar the men, radical volition watch,” McCoughtry said. “Once we get the marque partnerships down america and promoting america and radical cognize who we are, they’ll travel to watch. It volition grow.”