WNBA star and two-time Olympic gold medalist Brittney Griner was back in a Russian court on Friday. This week her attorney delivered an American doctor’s letter recommending she use medical cannabis to treat pain. Is this a game-changer for her case?

Last week Brittney pleaded guilty to the charge of bringing contraband into Russia. She’s been in a Russian prison for five months. The question then was whether or not Brittney pleaded guilty to get a deal or was it her decision to just accept her fate? Brittney’s wife and teammates and friends have cranked up the pressure on the White House to make a prisoner exchange to get Brittney back home or work out something to get her released from prison. Does a plea of guilty complicate her release?

Griner admitted possession of vape canisters but said she had no criminal intent. She said they were in her luggage because she packed hastily when she returned to Russia to play for the UMMC Ekaterinburg basketball team. She played for the Russian team during the WNBA’s offseason. Her admission of guilt, though, didn’t automatically end her trial. Now her court sessions concentrate on in-person and written testimony to her good character and athletic skills.

Perhaps this is why her attorney waited until today’s court appearance to deliver a letter from an American doctor recommending Griner use medical cannabis to treat pain. Otherwise, it seems like that news nugget came out of nowhere. Why didn’t it come up when she was arrested? Even if she didn’t have a copy of the letter on her when she was searched at the airport, surely she mentioned it, right? (It would be incredibly stupid to travel overseas with such vape canisters without medical documentation.) Did the attorney have to send off for the letter from her doctor?

“The attending physician gave Brittney recommendations for the use of medical cannabis,” said her lawyer, Maria Blagovolina. “The permission was issued on behalf of the Arizona Department of Health.”

The defense on Friday also submitted tests she underwent as part of an anti-doping check, which didn’t detect any prohibited substances in her system.

Brittney faces up to 10 years in prison if she is found guilty of transporting contraband. Her next court hearing is scheduled for July 26.

Biden and Secretary of State Blinken say they are doing all they can to get Griner and other Americans released from detention overseas, including Paul Whelan who is in a Russian prison serving 16 years on an espionage conviction. Putin’s war in Ukraine may complicate any prisoner swap. The Russians are eager for the release of Viktor Bout, a Russian arms trader also known as “the Merchant of Death”. He is serving a 25-year sentence in the United States due to his conviction of conspiracy to kill U.S. citizens and providing aid to a terrorist organization. A trade for his release along with that of Griner and Whelan would certainly be a lopsided one.

Griner is receiving support from both Russians and Americans.

“In the hearings yesterday and today what became very clear is the tremendous amount of respect and admiration both in the United States and here in Russia where Miss Griner has been playing basketball for seven years, not only for her professional achievements but for her character and integrity,” U.S. Embassy charge d’affaires Elizabeth Rood said outside the courthouse in the Moscow suburb of Khimki, where the airport is located.

The director and team captain of UMMC Ektaerinburg testified on her behalf on Thursday.

The trial may last for months. Her detention has been authorized through December 20. Her attorney remains hopeful it may end by the beginning of August.

When Griner was arrested for having hashish in her vape canisters, or cannabis, or whatever it was, my first thought was she must use it for medical reasons. She’s a professional athlete and medical marijuana is not uncommon as a way to counter pain. I also thought that because otherwise she is incredibly stupid. Who would travel anywhere, but especially overseas and to Russia specifically, with that kind of contraband in their luggage? Another reason I thought it was probably an oversight or mistake was because her vape canisters were apparently easily found when her luggage was checked. If she thought she was doing something illegal, wouldn’t she have hidden them better?

Maybe a doctor’s note will be enough to make her case that she didn’t have criminal intentions. Otherwise it will be a last-minute Hail Mary play which may or may not work in a Russian court..