Brittney Griner's Detention Subject of Meeting Between US State Dept., Mercury

Representatives from the Phoenix Mercury met with U.S. State Department officials Monday to discuss Brittney Griner's ongoing wrongful detention in Russia.

Griner has been in custody for 116 days after being arrested at a Russian airport in February.

The Mercury said they also spoke with Rep. Greg Stanton and Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee following their meeting with the state department.

"There is a lot involved in getting her back home and safe, they're working relentlessly," Mercury star Diana Taurasi said. "We're here to do whatever we can to amplify and keep BG at the forefront, which is more important than any basketball game and anything else that's going on in our lives. We want BG to come home as soon as possible, it's No. 1 on our list."

News of Griner's arrest first surfaced in March, several weeks after she was initially detained.

As the story was evolving, there were concerns about whether publicizing her arrest and advocating for her release would exacerbate her situation. ESPN's T.J. Quinn and Mechelle Voepel interviewed Tom Firestone, a lawyer and former legal adviser for the U.S. embassy in Moscow who explained the delicate balance at play:

"Sometimes cases like this are better off handled in a low-key approach through the criminal justice system. I think the concern is, if it becomes too high-profile, if it becomes political, then the Russian government may dig into their position. It may make it difficult for her to get a good resolution of the case, and she could become a pawn in a bigger political battle."

With little in the way of progress, the public tenor is beginning to change.

In mid-March, a Moscow court ruled Griner would remain in custody until at least May 19. Then her detention was extended again until June 18. In between those developments, the State Department officially classified her as "wrongfully detained," meaning the U.S. would "no longer wait for Griner's case to play out through the Russian legal system and [would] seek to negotiate her return," per Quinn.