Brittney Griner, who was seen with closely cropped hair in newly released images, was not forced to chop off her signature dreads. It was purely up to her. The 32-year-old athlete was no longer sporting her signature long hair, despite having kept it at her usual length through most of her detainment.
One of Griner’s Russian lawyers, Maria Blagovolina, told ESPN that the Phoenix Mercury star decided to cut her hair because of the harsh weather conditions in the penal colony where she was serving out her nine-year sentence.
“So… the hair. Griner’s lawyer tells me BG cut her hair famous two Sundays ago. Every time she washed it would freeze, and she decided she didn’t want to deal with it for an entire Russian winter. And she was prepared to be there for a while,” he reported on Thursday.
“It’s very cold in there and every time she washed her hair she got cold and would get a chill,” Blagovolina said.
Griner had recently come down with the flu so she was preparing herself for colder months ahead with the decision to cut her hair. Unbeknownst to her, the Biden administration nwas making plans to free her. Despite the harsh conditions, Blagovolina said that Griner “is a fighter” and while it was “extremely challenging for her,” the WNBA star “did really great” adapting to life in the penal colony.
Griner arrived in San Antonio on Friday morning to receive medical attention and reunite with her family.
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The Phoenix Mercury star is reportedly “in good health” and will be “offered a wide range of support options” as she returns home, according to CNN.
