State Department makes clear stance on Dennis Rodman's Russia travel

Fox News Flash top headlines are here. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com.

NBA legend Dennis Rodman made waves over the weekend when he revealed his plans to go to Russia to advocate for the release of WNBA superstar Brittney Griner who was sentenced to nine years in prison after she was convicted of drug charges.

Rodman told NBC News over the weekend he "got permission" to travel to Russia to "help that girl." He didn’t elaborate on who gave him the green light to travel to Russia.

On Monday, State Department spokesman Ned Price was asked about Rodman’s travel plans.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

Dennis Rodman reacts after being introduced as part of the NBA 75th Anniversary Team during the 2022 NBA All-Star Game at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, Ohio, on February 20, 2022. (Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)

"Well, we have seen through the media, and really only through the media, that Dennis Rodman has said he does intend to travel to Russia. He — I want to be clear, he is — he would not be traveling on behalf of the U.S. government," Price said.

"I have just reiterated what we’ve said now for the past several weeks. We put forward a substantial proposal to Russia to seek the freedom of Paul Whelan and Brittney Griner. We believe that anything other than negotiating further through the established channel is likely to complicate and hinder those release efforts. We’ve also provided very clear guidance to American citizens owing to a number of threats, not the least of which is the threat of wrongful detention, that Americans should not travel to Russia. That has been our message to private Americans across the board."

The State Department has a Level 4 travel advisory to warn Americans