Sandy Brondello suspended one game over comment during Tempo-Dream game
The WNBA said the Toronto coach violated league standards after a broadcast captured her remark following a play involving Angel Reese.
By Sofia Marchetti · World Affairs Correspondent
2 min read
The WNBA suspended Toronto Tempo coach Sandy Brondello for one game after she made what the league called an inappropriate comment during Friday’s game against the Atlanta Dream, the Associated Press reported. The suspension means Brondello will miss Monday’s game against the Las Vegas Aces.
The league announced the discipline Saturday, saying in a statement that it expects coaches and team personnel to meet its standards for professionalism and respect. The decision followed a broadcast moment during Toronto’s 111-92 loss to Atlanta.
According to AP, the broadcast picked up Brondello speaking to officials after Toronto player Nyara Sabally was injured following contact with Dream forward Angel Reese. Sabally was called for a foul on the play, and Brondello could be heard saying Reese was a “protected species.”
Brondello apologized Saturday in a social media post addressed to Reese. She said she used a phrase she should not have used while reacting to Sabally’s injury and accepted responsibility for the comment.
“My frustration was with the officiating, but my words unfairly put the focus on you,” Brondello wrote, according to AP.
Reese also responded on social media after the game, AP reported. She posted, “ARE WE SURPRISED?!” and tagged Brondello’s account, followed by a clown face emoji.
In her apology, Brondello said she understood the comment had an effect beyond what she intended, especially for Black women in the league. She also wrote that she has spent her career competing with, coaching and learning from Black women.
Brondello added that she regretted causing hurt to a community she respects and apologized to Reese, Reese’s teammates and the Dream organization, according to AP.
AP reported that Brondello is Australian and that the phrase “protected species” is used in Australian sports to complain that officials are not calling enough fouls against a player. In the United States, AP reported, the phrase can suggest that a person is not human and may be viewed as derogatory toward Black people.
Brondello is in her first season coaching the expansion Tempo, AP reported. She has been a WNBA head coach since 2014 and has won championships with Phoenix and New York.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.