Megan Rapinoe paid respect to imprisoned WNBA player Brittney Griner as she was presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the country’s highest civilian honor, by donning a cream jacket with the initials “BG” and a bouquet of flowers embroidered on the lapel.
Rapinoe captioned a close-up image of the needlework detail in an Instagram story with, “The most important part of the day…BG we love you.”
According to a US State Department official who spoke to CNN in May, Griner has been imprisoned in Russia since February on suspicions of drug smuggling and is currently being treated as having been “wrongfully detained.”
Griner entered a guilty plea to drug charges in a Russian court on Thursday, the same day Rapinoe was awarded the Medal of Freedom.
Rapinoe repeated the concerns expressed by many who support the Phoenix Mercury star that she is being exploited as a political pawn in the midst of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
As was the case with Trevor Reed, an American veteran who was imprisoned in Russia for three years before being freed in April, some have theorised that Griner could be freed and sent back to the US in a prisoner swap. There is no sign that Griner will soon undergo such a swap.
