Updated
Updated · The Associated Press · Jul 19
Angel Reese Accepts Sandy Brondello Apology After 1-Game WNBA Suspension
Updated
Updated · The Associated Press · Jul 19

Angel Reese Accepts Sandy Brondello Apology After 1-Game WNBA Suspension

3 articles · Updated · The Associated Press · Jul 19

Summary

  • Angel Reese said Sunday she accepts Toronto Tempo coach Sandy Brondello’s apology and is ready to move on after the WNBA suspended Brondello for one game.
  • The league acted after Brondello was overheard calling Reese a “protected species” during Atlanta’s 111-92 win Friday, with the remark picked up on the broadcast after a foul involving Nyara Sabally.
  • Reese said the last 48 hours brought heavy support and that she appreciated the WNBA’s response, adding there is no place in the league for discrimination or hate.
  • Brondello, in her first season with expansion Toronto, said on social media the phrase is common in Australian sports for a player seen as getting favorable calls, but in the U.S. it can carry derogatory racial meaning.

Insights

When a coach's idiom clashes with a player's culture, who bears the burden of understanding?
In an era of instant social media outrage, can a speaker's intent ever outweigh the impact?