Toronto Tempo head coach Sandy Brondello received a one-game suspension without pay after making a controversial remark directed at Atlanta Dream forward Angel Reese on Friday night.
Late in the fourth quarter, with the Tempo trailing by double digits, Brondello became frustrated with the officials and yelled, “She’s a protected species,” in Reese’s direction.
Since then, Brondello has personally apologized to both Reese and the Dream organization.
Reese Releases Statement
Ahead of the Dream’s game against the Chicago Sky on Sunday, Reese addressed Brondello’s apology and thanked the WNBA for acting quickly.
“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. I’m just grateful that we are able to move on from the situation and just play winning basketball.
“The WNBA is supposed to be positive, and we are in a great place right now. I just want to continue that and move forward.”
Angel Reese shared a statement regarding Sandy Brondello and the incident on Friday.
Says she’s appreciative of Sandy’s apology, but also of the support of her from others the past 24 hours
Brondello was suspended for one game pic.twitter.com/xyJxAYFzm4
— Malik Brown (@_MalikATL) July 19, 2026
Brondello Apologizes Again
After posting an apology on social media Friday night, Brondello addressed the incident again during her media availability following Sunday’s practice.
“I apologize to Angel… and I reached out to [Atlanta’s] GM and asked him to speak to Angel because she doesn’t really know me very well,” Brondello said.
“I have a ton of respect for her, and I wanted to make sure she knew it was a heated, emotional statement. It’s a statement that’s very common in Australia, and it wasn’t directed at Angel. I would never do that to any player. That’s not the kind of coach I am, or the kind of player I was back in my day. It was just unfortunate. I was pretty emotional with Nyara, her being injured again, and I made a comment that Australians say all the time.”
Brondello will serve her one-game suspension Monday night when the Tempo face the Las Vegas Aces.
Angel Reese Breaks Silence on WNBA’s Sandy Brondello Suspension