BuckyB93 wrote:In the off season she's played in foreign leagues for years. Why? They often pay more than what she gets from a US WNBA salary.
"In the 2013–14 off-season, she played in China for the Zhejiang Golden Bulls of the WCBA where she signed a four-month contract for $600,000, which was 12 times the amount she made in her rookie season with the [Phoenix] Mercury. In the 2014–15 and 2015–16 off-seasons, Griner played in Russia for UMMC Ekaterinburg with teammate Diana Taurasi, winning back-to-back championships
In August 2016, Griner re-signed with UMMC Ekaterinburg for the 2016–17 off-season. In 2017, she re-signed once again with UMMC Ekaterinburg for the 2017–18 off-season, and in 2018, she returned to UMMC Ekaterinburg for a fifth stint in the 2018–19 off-season."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brittney_Griner
It's not like she was just visiting or vacationing there and was unaware of the laws of that country. She's been splitting her time living and playing in the US, and then living and playing in Russia for many years (5 off season contracts).
Oopsie, I unintentionally packed some drugs that are illegal at my destination. I was in a rush to catch the plane... Yeah, BS.
When traveling, whether it is in another country or even in another state here in the US, you have to abide by the laws. If not, you are subject to pay the price for breaking the law. She is not being "wrongfully detained" on some fake "alleged" crime. She got caught and plead guilty to the charges. So words like allegedly and wrongfully go bye bye once you admit to the crime and plead guilty to it.
Ignorance of the law is no excuse and I would venture to guess that she was not ignorant of the law(s) nor ignorant of what she packed in her luggage.
Not to mention the timing of her trip, after the turmoil between Russia and Ukraine kicked off and Americans were warned to get out and/or not travel there. She has a reported worth of $17mil, which you’d think would be enough to keep you away from such a situation. From the other post going on about the arrest:
On January 23, the Department of State issued an update to the Level 4 Travel Advisory –
Do Not Travel – for Russia due to ongoing tension along the border with Ukraine. For the full text of the updated Travel Advisory, please visit the Department’s country information page for Russia.
Do not travel to Russia due to ongoing tension along the border with Ukraine, the potential for harassment against U.S. citizens, the embassy’s limited ability to assist U.S. citizens in Russia, COVID-19 and related entry restrictions, terrorism, harassment by Russian government security officials, and the arbitrary enforcement of local law.Due to Russia’s heightened military presence and ongoing military exercises along the border region with Ukraine, U.S. citizens located in or considering travel to the districts of the Russian Federation immediately bordering Ukraine should be aware that the situation along the border is unpredictable and there is heightened tension. Given the on-going volatility of the situation, U.S. citizens are strongly advised against traveling by land from Russia to Ukraine through this region. In addition, there is the potential throughout Russia of harassment towards foreigners, including through regulations targeted specifically against foreigners.
The U.S. government’s ability to provide routine or emergency services to U.S. citizens in Russia is already severely limited, particularly in areas far from the U.S. Embassy in Moscow due to Russian government limitations on U.S. staffing and the suspension of consular services at U.S. consulates.
If you decide to travel to Russia:
Read the country information page.
Familiarize yourself with information on what the U.S. government can and cannot do to assist you in a crisis overseas.
Have a contingency plan in place that does not rely on U.S. government assistance. Review the Traveler’s Checklist.
Monitor local media for breaking events and adjust your contingency plans based on the new information.
Ensure travel documents are valid and easily accessible.
Visit our website for Travel to High-Risk Areas.
Enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive Alerts and make it easier to locate you in an emergency.
Follow the Department of State on Facebook and Twitter.
Review the Country Security Report for Russia.
See the U.S. Embassy’s web page regarding COVID-19.
Visit the CDC’s webpage on Travel and COVID-19.
Get a COVID vaccine to facilitate your travel
Understand the COVID testing and vaccine requirements for all countries that you will transit through to your destination
Assistance:
U.S. Embassy Moscow
Bolshoy Deviatinsky Pereulok No. 8
Moscow 121099, Russian Federation
Telephone: +(7) (495) 728-5000 or +(7) (495) 728-5577
Email:
[email protected]U.S. Department of State – Consular Affairs
Tel.: +1 (888)-407-4747 or +1 (202)-501-4444
https://ru.usembassy.gov/security-alert-update-to-travel-advisory-for-russia-january-23-2022/
PS: Griner was arrest February 17th, long after warnings to not travel there.