Sandy Brondello has been suspended for one game by the WNBA after the Toronto Tempo head coach called Atlanta Dream forward Angel Reese a “protected species” on a hot microphone during Friday’s game.
The remark, as reported by ESPN, came after Atlanta’s Nyara Sabally fouled Reese following an offensive rebound, with the Tempo challenging the officiating call.
Sabally left the game during the timeout that followed, and the exchange quickly moved from the court to the internet.
What did Sandy Brondello say to earn a suspension?
Television microphones picked up Brondello as the Tempo bench disputed the officials’ handling of the foul.
The audio, carried on the game broadcast, left little room for interpretation, and it spread quickly across social media once the final buzzer sounded.
Brondello was heard saying:
“Angel, she’s a protected species!”
Reese answered the moment on social media that night. When one user posted a message reading “Calling a Black woman a species…”, the Atlanta forward quoted the post, tagged Brondello with a clown emoji and added a pointed line of her own.
Reese wrote:
“ARE WE SURPRISED?”
How Sandy Brondello apologised the next morning
The next morning, Brondello issued a public apology addressed directly to Reese, taking full responsibility for the language and linking it to the tension that followed Sabally’s injury rather than to any issue with the player herself.
Brondello said:
“Angel, I’m sorry.”
She continued:
“Last night, in the emotion of the moment after Nyara’s injury, I used a phrase that I shouldn’t have used, and I take full responsibility for that. My frustration was with the officiating, but my words unfairly put the focus on you.”
The coach went further, acknowledging that the words had landed harder than she meant them to. She named the group she felt had been most affected by the phrase, a point that spoke to the reaction building online.
Brondello added:
“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.”
The WNBA suspended Brondello for one game over the comment. Brondello is Australian, and in Australian sporting circles “protected species” is a phrase used to voice frustration at a perceived lack of foul calls awarded against a particular player.
How Angel Reese answered the suspension
Reese addressed the suspension itself once the league acted. She accepted the apology and welcomed the discipline, framing it as a matter of standards for everyone connected to the WNBA rather than a personal grievance with the coach.
Reese said:
“First, I appreciate Sandy’s apology.”
She added:
“I am grateful that the league did take action… There is no place for discrimination or hate in this league from anyone, from fans to coaches to players.”
The one-game penalty means Brondello will sit out the Tempo’s next fixture before returning to the bench.
Beyond that game, the suspension closes the league’s formal role in an episode that, for one night, pulled attention away from the basketball and onto a single phrase.
