Sandy Brondello will sit out Monday's game against Las Vegas after the WNBA handed down a one-game suspension for an on-court comment directed at Atlanta Dream forward Angel Reese during Friday's loss.
The Toronto Tempo coach was caught by the broadcast making the remark after Reese made contact with Tempo player Nyara Sabally, who went down with an injury. Officials called the foul on Sabally, and Brondello's frustration with the officiating spilled over into what the league deemed a breach of professional conduct.
"The WNBA expects all coaches and team personnel to uphold the highest standards of professionalism and respect that are fundamental to our league," the league said in a statement Saturday announcing the penalty.
The comment drew swift attention from Reese herself, who posted on social media after the 111-92 loss: "ARE WE SURPRISED?!" with a clown emoji tagging Brondello's account.
Brondello posted an apology to social media the following day, acknowledging both the immediate context and the broader implications of her language. She explained that her frustration centered on the officiating but recognized that her words unfairly shifted focus to Reese as an individual.
"I also understand that my words carried an impact beyond what I intended, particularly for Black women in our league, and I'm deeply sorry for that," Brondello wrote, adding that she has spent her career working alongside and learning from Black women in basketball.
The phrase Brondello used is common in Australian sports vernacular, typically deployed to express frustration over perceived bias in officiating. In an American context, however, the term carries significantly different connotations and has historically been used in derogatory ways toward Black people.
Brondello, who has held a WNBA head coaching position since 2014, won championships with the Phoenix Mercury and New York Liberty before joining the expansion Tempo this season. Her apology emphasized respect for Reese both as a player and a person, and extended to Reese's teammates and the Dream organization.
Author James Rodriguez: "Brondello's quick acknowledgment and detailed apology show awareness of the damage, but the suspension signals the league won't tolerate this kind of language regardless of intent."
Comments