“You’re Black, you’re a woman, you’re queer”: Cam Newton claims Brittney Griner’s identity made her easy target during 2022 Russia detention

The profile of one the greatest women’s basketball players may have contributed to her arrest and detention in Russia in 2022, according to Cam Newton. He recently sat down with Brittney Griner to discuss her arrest and imprisonment in Russia.

“You had a lot of things working against you specifically," Newton said (02:54), via the "Funky Friday" podcast. "Those lists are you’re black, you’re a woman, you’re a queer, you look different and you’re American.”

Griner was detained at Sheremetyevo Airport. Federal Customs Service found that the 10-time WNBA All-Star had a vaporizer cartridge containing less than a gram of hash oil. Prescribed medical cannabis is illegal in Russia.

Griner believed that Russian authorities targeted her to set an example.

“Definitely felt that, especially once they found what they found, and they had me basically just sitting off to the side," Griner said (03:40). "When I say they were coming out, looking, looking at me, going back in, coming back out, smiling, getting other people, it was a show."

American officials were worried that Russia was using her as leverage, in response to sanctions the U.S. levied on them for invading Ukraine.

After being detained, Griner explained what her experience was like.

“They took me, they stopped me, they took the cartridges, they had a duty-free worker and a couple of security people take me to a public bathroom to do a body search of me, brought me back, had me sign some paperwork, all in Russian, not being translated," Griner said (04:24). "Nothing is being said, but I’m being told that you just got to do this.”

In May 2022, the U.S. State Department concluded that they believed Russian police wrongfully detained Griner. She was sentenced to nine years in prison, even though a standard sentence for fewer than two grams of hash oil is 15 days.

Russia and the US exchange prisoners

While Brittney Griner is now free, getting the former three-time Olympic gold medallist out was no easy task. For her to return home, the United States proposed a prisoner swap with Russia.

At the time, Russian politician Viktor Bout was in jail in the U.S. for arms dealing, having served 10 years of a 25-year sentence. Bout was imprisoned on charges of conspiracy to kill American citizens and officials, the delivery of anti-aircraft missiles and helping terrorist groups.

The two countries made a deal to swap the prisoners, and Griner was released on Dec. 8, 2022. As part of the exchange, Russia also deported American Sarah Krivanek, who had been detained for a domestic violence dispute.