Brittney Griner's wife describes letters from Russian prison, says the WNBA star is acting tough but is really 'struggling' and 'terrified'

• WNBA star Brittney Griner remains jailed in Russia on charges of drug smuggling.
• Cherelle Griner described letters she has received from her wife in an interview with Rev. Al Sharpton.

Brittney Griner remains jailed in Russia, and her wife said Wednesday that while the WNBA star is putting up a tough front, she is actually not doing well at all.

The Phoenix Mercury center has been in jail for more than 130 days on drug smuggling charges after Russian authorities said they found vape cartridges containing hashish oil in her luggage.

On Wednesday, Griner's wife, Cherelle, spoke with the Rev. Al Sharpton on his SiriusXM radio show, "Keepin' It Real." She noted that she still had not spoken with Griner since February 17, when she left the US to go to Russia, but she has received letters.

Cherelle described those letters to Sharpton and how she believes Griner was trying to mask how scared she really is.

"Because I am her person, she is always going to write persuasively to make sure I don't break because she knows I have all these things going on. She's always trying to be my strong person," Cherelle said. "She's telling me she's okay. She's like, 'I'm okay, babe. I'm hardened. I'm not me right now. When I come home, it's going to take me a minute to get back to myself, but I'm holding on. I won't break until I come home. I won't let them break me. I know they are trying to, but I'm going to do my best to just hold on until I can get home.'"

Brittney and Cherelle were supposed to speak two weeks ago. However, that call fell through due to a "logistical error" at the US Embassy in Moscow.

Later, Cherelle spoke about the importance of keeping Brittney in the news and keeping pressure on those who can help bring her home, noting that she believes Brittney is not doing as well as she might have said in the letters.

"Every second that goes by, BG is struggling," Cherelle said. "She's struggling. She's there, terrified. She's there, alone ... Everything about this is just her biggest nightmare, on top of the fact that BG is in a situation where this isn't even a trial ... Nothing about this is justice."

Earlier this week, Griner's trial date was set for July 1. However, there are still strong doubts about whether she will get a fair hearing. Russia has a 99% conviction rate, and some experts believe it will be a "show trial" with a predetermined outcome.