State Dept.: Brittney Griner considered wrongfully detained

By ERIC TUCKER and MATTHEW LEE
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The State Department says it has determined WNBA star Brittney Griner is being wrongfully detained in Russia. That means the U.S. will more aggressively work to secure her release while the legal case against her plays out. Griner was detained at an airport in February after Russian authorities said a search of her bag revealed vape cartridges containing traces of cannabis oil. U.S. officials previously stopped short of classifying the Phoenix Mercury player as wrongfully detained. The president of the WNBA players’ union says it’s time for Griner to “come home.”