On Thursday, the United States and Russia officially agreed to a deal to bring Brittney Griner back for Russian Arms dealer Viktor Bout. The WNBA star had been detained in Russia since February, when officials say she was carrying vape cartridges containing hashish oil in her luggage at a Russian airport.
Late Thursday, a video showed authorities on both sides exchanging Griner for Bout, and Griner looked noticeably different. Her long dreadlocks were cut short while she was detained.
According to ESPN’s T.J. Quinn, it was Griner’s decision to cut her hair. One of Griner’s lawyers, Maria Blagovolina, told Quinn that Griner’s hair would freeze when wet as the Russian winter got colder, so she decided to cut it to make life in prison easier.
“It’s very cold in there, and every time she washed her hair she got cold and would get a chill,” Blagovolina said. “She should have waited until New Year’s Day.”
Griner made the decision knowing she may have been staring down a cold winter in the country.
Blagovolina also mentioned that Griner had been dealing with the flu, and she had been working in the women’s prison carrying fabric to those who would sew uniforms.
