Brittney Griner claims that during the first weeks of her stay in a Russian prison she thought about suicide

PHOENIX (AP) – WNBA star Brittney Griner said she considered suicide during her first few weeks in a Russian prison after her 2022 arrest on drug charges.

Griner spoke for the first time about her month-long detention in Russia during an hour-long interview that aired Wednesday night on ABC. Her memoir “Coming Home” will likely be released on May 7.

Griner was detained upon arrival at a Moscow airport after Russian authorities said a search of her luggage revealed vaping cartridges allegedly containing oil derived from cannabis.

“I wanted to take my own life more than once in the first few weeks,” Griner told Robin Roberts in an interview. “I wanted to leave here so bad.”

She decided to accomplish that partly because she feared that Russian authorities wouldn’t release her body to her family.

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Her difficult situation unfolded at the same time as Russia invaded Ukraine and further escalated tensions between Russia and the United States, which ended only after her release in exchange for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.

Griner said she was forced to write down a letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin before being released.

“They forced me to write down this letter. It was in Russian,” she added. “I needed to express regret and thanks from their so-called great leader. I didn’t wish to do it, but at the same time I desired to go home.

She was disillusioned when she boarded the industrial plane and that Paul Whelan, one other American held in Russia, was not with her.

“I kept walking and didn’t see him, possibly he’ll be next. Maybe they’ll bring him in next,” she said. “They closed the door and I thought: Are you serious? You won’t let this man come home now.

Griner plays for the Phoenix Mercury. The WNBA season starts on May 14.