SerpApi.Org
Sandy Brondello's comments during the Toronto Tempo's game against the Atlanta Dream have been the WNBA's biggest talking point over the past few days.
The incident occurred after Tempo forward Nyara Sabally collided with Dream star Angel Reese. When the officials ruled the foul against Sabally, Brondello couldn't help but strongly disagree with the decision.
As she argued with referee Toni Patillo, a courtside microphone picked up the Toronto coach saying, "Angel, she's a protected species... No, come on Toni... that's s—t."
Her words quickly went viral on social media after Reese pointed out the comments in a post shortly after the game.
Brondello later issued a public apology before the WNBA handed her a one-game suspension without pay. While some around the league felt the Australian coach did not mean to sound racist with her comments, many believed the phrase could not simply be dismissed.
Even four-time WNBA champion Sheryl Swoopes backed Reese while addressing the controversy.
Swoopes tells Brondello that this is not Australia
Speaking on a recent episode of "The Women's Hoop Show," Swoopes made it clear she was not at all questioning Brondello's character. The three-time WNBA MVP said she has known the Tempo coach for years and never saw her as someone who disrespected people or carried racist views.
Still, she believes the moment deserved to be taken seriously, even if it's a common phrase in her country.
"At the end of the day, you're not in Australia. You're the head coach of a team in a league of predominantly black women. So, you have to be very mindful of your position. Also, let's just call it what it is, because unfortunately, that's where we are in this country, but also in this league right now." Swoopes said.
"You have to be very mindful of where you are, of your privilege and of what's coming out of your mouth, because of all of this racism stuff that's surrounding the W right now. I don't care what happened. I don't care where you're from. You can't say things like that."
Swoopes and Brondello faced each other many times in the league and on the international stage, including the Olympics. According to Her Airness, those games were always physical and competitive, but she never got disrespected because of her race.
That historic connection is why Swoopes chose not to label Brondello a racist. Instead, she stressed that intent and impact are two different things, especially in today's WNBA.
Reese took time before accepting Brondello's apology
The four-time champion also understood why Reese didn't feel the need to immediately respond after Brondello reached out after the game. In her view, the Dream forward had every right to process the comments on her own terms.
Whether Reese decided to speak with Brondello privately or never discuss it altogether would have been her choice. But Reese did eventually address the spiraling controversy before the Dream's game against the Chicago Sky on Sunday.
"First, I appreciate Sandy's apology, but I also appreciate the love and support that I've had for the last 48 hours," Reese said. "It has been very overwhelming with a lot of love and also other things. But 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. And I'm just grateful that we are able to move on from the situation and just play winning basketball."
The Dream star even acknowledged the WNBA for acting quickly after reviewing the incident. The league suspended Brndello for one game without pay, forcing her to miss Toronto's game against the Las Vegas Aces, which they lost by 26 points.
Even though the dust around the controversy settled, the debate was never about where Brondello came from or whether she meant to offend Reese. It was about understanding what repercussions those comments can have if the coaches and players are not mindful.
