Former NBA star Dennis Rodman has announced that he intends to travel to Russia to try to facilitate the release of WNBA player Brittney Griner, who was recently sentenced to a lengthy jail term.
According to NBC News, Rodman recently told them about his plans during a chat at a restaurant in Washington, DC.
"I got permission to go to Russia to help that girl," he said. "I'm trying to go this week."
Griner was detained at Sheremetyevo International Airport in Moscow on 17 February after a search of her luggage by customs officers, prompted by the reaction of a service dog, yielded two electronic vaporizers containing cannabis oil.
In August, the Khimki court in Moscow sentenced Griner to nine years in jail on charges of smuggling and possession of cannabis oil, as well as a fine of one million rubles; she has since attempted to appeal the verdict.
Prior to the announcement of Griner’s sentence, the US government reportedly offered to exchange Viktor Bout, a Russian national and alleged arms dealer who is serving a 25-year prison term in the United States, for Griner and Paul Whelan, a former US Marine jailed in Russia on espionage charges.