Page 34 - Florida Sentinel 10-28-22

Sports
Brittney Griner Loses Appeal In Russian Court
Two Notable Athletes Cut Ties With Kanye West’s Donda Sports
If Brittney Griner is going to return to the U. S. anytime soon, it almost certainly will happen via a prisoner exchange. The jailed American basketball star exhausted the last of her legal options on Tuesday when her last-gasp appeal predictably went nowhere.
A Moscow regional court up- held Griner’s August convic- tion on charges of drug possession and drug smuggling with criminal intent. The court rejected arguments from Griner’s defense attorneys that her nine-year prison sentence was excessive and unjustified under Russian law.
Griner participated in Tues- day’s appeal hearing via video call from behind the white bars of her jail cell at a detention cen- ter outside Moscow. She has been held there since last Febru- ary when she flew into Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport and Russ-
BRITTNEY GRINER
ian police allegedly found cannabis oil vape cartridges in her luggage.
At the end of Tuesday’s hear- ing, Griner spoke directly to the court. Calling it “traumatic” to be away from her family, Griner begged the court to take into account what went “over- looked” during her first court date and to “reassess her sen- tence.”
AARON DONALD
JAYLEN BROWN
A couple of prominent ath- letes have cut ties with Kanye West’s Donda Sports agency.
Both Aaron Donald and Jaylen Brown released state- ments on Tuesday to say that they were no longer working with Donda Sports.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2022 FLORIDA SENTINEL-BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 15-A