During the 2022 ESPYs on Wednesday night, US soccer star Megan Rapinoe used her time on stage as a chance to shed light on Brittney Griner’s situation.
Griner, a WNBA All-Star and two-time Olympic gold medalist, is still in Russia right now due to a situation that took place in February.
With Griner’s situation up in the air, Rapinoe wants everyone to continue doing their part to help expedite her return to the United States.
“I think honestly what we’ve witnessed tonight is the importance of sport and how much we can bring and how much we can get done in the world with our collective power,” Rapinoe said. “I think, for me, the most striking thing is that BG [Brittney Griner] is not here.”
Rapinoe continued: “BG deserved to be free. She’s being held as a political prisoner, obviously.”
Here’s the full speech from Rapinoe:
Rapinoe wasn’t the only athlete who had a special message for Griner during the ESPYs.
“It’s been 153 nights now that BG has been wrongfully detained thousands of miles away from home, away from her family, away from her friends, away from her team,” Skylar Diggins-Smith said. “All throughout that time, we’ve kept her in our thoughts and in our hearts even though we know that ain’t nearly enough to bring her home, y’all.”
Griner’s trial in Russia is expected to resume on July 26.