Assertive! US Government Won't Allow Dennis Rodman To Russia Lobby For Release Of Brittney Griner

Dennis Rodman (Instagram @dennisrodman)

JAKARTA - Ned Price, spokesman for the State Department under US President Joe Biden, spoke at a conference about the desire of basketball legend Dennis Rodman to fly to Russia to lobby for Brittney Griner's release.

Price, through his message, clearly and forcefully did not give the former Chicago Bulls player permission to go to Moscow.

"We submitted a substantial proposal to Russia seeking the release of Paul Whelan or Brittney Griner," Price said.

"We believe that anything other than further negotiations through established channels is likely to complicate and hinder the release effort," he continued.

Price added that if he still went to Moscow, Rodman would not represent the US government.

However, he did not comment on 'The Worm' statement claiming he had permission to go to Russia because he was able to get a visa from Moscow, according to information from NBC.

Today, Tuesday, marks the 187 days that WNBA star Brittney Griner has been detained in Russia after being arrested at Moscow International Airport on suspicion of possession of cannabis oil in her luggage last February.

The Phoenix Mercury player was sentenced to nine years in prison and since then efforts to release the player have continued. One of them came from Rodman.