Brittney Griner Update: Russian Court Rejects Basketball Star's Prison Appeal

American basketball star Brittney Griner had her 9-year prison sentence upheld by a Russian court on Tuesday, clearing the way for her transfer to a penal colony.

Griner, 32, was convicted in August of smuggling and possessing cannabis paraphernalia.

The Olympic gold medalist apologized for an "honest mistake" in an appeal to the Russian court, saying the ordeal had been "very, very stressful," the BBC reports

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Griner's legal options have not been exhausted, but they are dwindling. There remain two higher courts in the Russian judicial system that could consider her appeal.

Griner said before the hearing in a statement released through her lawyers that she "was not expecting any miracles."

The Biden administration has been active in trying to bring Griner home, at one point offering the Russians a prisoner exchange deal that would include notorious arms-dealer Viktor Bout.

For the most part, the Kremlin has remained quiet on the situation. Just last week an aide for Russian leader Vladimir Putin said the release of Griner was not of major concern to the government.

According to Griner's attorneys, the star had grown increasingly anxious, fearing the reality of serving the complete 9-year sentence.

"She suffers a lot without her family because she hasn't seen them for so long and it's very difficult to talk to them in any way," said Alexandr D. Boykov, one of Griner's lawyers, in a recent interview.

Griner's wife, Cherelle Griner, said in an interview with "CBS Mornings" that she had only talked to her wife on the phone twice, leaving her in tears afterward.

"I think I cried for about two, three days straight," she said. "It was the most disturbing phone call I'd ever experienced."

Griner had been traveling in Russia to play club basketball, an endeavor many WNBA stars had taken in the past due to the sub-standard wages they receive playing solely in America.