Toronto Tempo coach Sandy Brondello apologized to Atlanta Dream star Angel Reese on Saturday after a comment she made during the Dream’s 111-92 win over the Tempo on Friday. A live mic caught Brondello calling Reese “a protected species” while addressing the officiating crew after Reese drew a foul.
“I used a phrase that I shouldn’t have used, and I take full responsibility for that,” Brondello mentioned, adding that she was “deeply sorry” and “in the emotion of the moment.”
Late in the fourth quarter, Reese secured an offensive rebound and went to the basket against Nyara Sabally. Reese put her shoulder into Sabally’s chest to create some space, but Sabally was called for a foul and collapsed to the ground in pain. Brondello was upset about the call, and as Sabally was being attended to by the Tempo’s medical staff, the broadcast picked up the coach yelling at the officials.
“Angel, she’s a protected species,” Brondello was heard saying. “No, come on [official] Toni [Patillo]… that’s s—.”
After finishing with 23 points, 12 rebounds and three steals on 7 of 11 from the field, Reese took to social media to address Brondello’s comment. “ARE WE SURPRISED?!” she wrote, while mentioning Brondello’s account and adding a clown emoji.
ARE WE SURPRISED?! @SBrondello 🤡 https://t.co/moNbYdDYo3
— Angel Reese (@Reese10Angel) July 18, 2026
Sandy Brondello’s full apology
On Saturday morning, Brondello, in her 14th season as a WNBA head coach, took to social media to apologize to Reese.
Here it is in full:
“Angel, I’m sorry. 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.
“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. I’ve spent my career competing with, coaching and learning from incredible Black women.
“I regret that my words caused hurt to a community I respect so deeply. I have a lot of respect for you as both a player and a person, and I sincerely apologize to you, your teammates, and the Dream organization for my comment.”
Brondello was using an Australian phrase
Brondello is a native of Australia, where “protected species” is a common term used in sports to describe a player or team that gets preferential treatment.
Here’s Sydney Morning Herald columnist Andrew Johns using it to describe rugby halfbacks: “In 2025, halfbacks can now play the game wearing a koala suit — they’ve officially become a protected species.”
And 7News Australia’s deputy sports editor Cameron Noakes uses it here to describe Australian Football League players: “The reality is, however, AFL players have become a protected species, and the industry needs Cornes.”
Brondello is a basketball legend in her country. She joined the Australian national team as a 17-year-old and played for nearly two decades, helping her country win five international medals, including back-to-back silvers at the 2000 and 2004 Olympics. Brondello was also a two-time WNBL All-Star in Australia and the 1995 WNBL MVP before moving to the WNBA, where she made the 1999 All-Star Game and spent five seasons with the Detroit Shock, Miami Sol and Seattle Storm.
After her playing career, which included a highly successful spell in Germany, Brondello began coaching in the WNBA as an assistant with the San Antonio Silver Stars in 2005. She has been in the league ever since. Her first head-coaching stint came with the Silver Stars in 2010 before an eight-season run with the Phoenix Mercury from 2014 to 2021 and four seasons with the New York Liberty (2022-25). Brondello was named Coach of the Year in 2014, has won two titles — in 2014 with the Mercury and 2024 with the Liberty — and is sixth on the all-time wins list with 269. She landed with the expansion Tempo ahead of their inaugural season after the Liberty did not renew her contract.
In 2017, she was named the head coach of the Australian national team and has helped the Opals win three more international medals, including a silver at the 2018 FIBA World Cup.
Brondello praised Reese before Friday’s game
Ahead of the Dream’s victory over the Tempo, Brondello was highly complimentary of Reese.
“Angel is just so crafty. Her ability to anticipate where the ball’s coming in and her positioning to get offensive rebounds and putbacks is elite,” Brondello mentioned. “That’s why she’s so good at what she does. I think she’s improved her moves off the dribble. They put her in face-ups too, and she’s attacking it.”
Reese, who was recently named an All-Star for the third time in as many seasons, is averaging a career-high 15.7 points, 11.8 rebounds and 1.7 steals for the fifth-place Dream. She’s leading the league in rebounds, and is one of two players averaging a double-double.
Brondello’s comment comes during time of heightened sensitivity
Over the past weeks, there has been an uptick in abuse directed at WNBA players, particularly on social media.
After the highly publicized incident involving Alyssa Thomas and Caitlin Clark, Thomas was retroactively issued a Flagrant 2 foul and a one-game suspension. In the aftermath, Thomas and her partner and Mercury teammate, DeWanna Bonner, were on the receiving end of death threats and had their address leaked.
Earlier this month, following the Las Vegas Aces’ loss to the Indiana Fever, Chelsea Gray posted a racist message she had received on social media. The person who sent that message was eventually fired by their employer, and both the Aces and the league issued statements.
Las Vegas Aces release strongly worded statement condemning racist abuse targeting Chelsea Gray
Isabel Gonzalez
“The WNBA fully supports the Las Vegas Aces’ statement and stands with Chelsea and every member of our league,” the WNBA’s statement mentioned. “We unequivocally condemn racism and all forms of hate. There is no place for this behavior in sports or anywhere, and we remain committed to protecting the players and fostering an environment built on respect and inclusion.”
On Wednesday, Chicago Sky guard Natasha Cloud called out WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert for not doing more to protect players.
“I’m called a b—-, I’m called a n—–, I’m called everything under the sun. I’ve been told that they hope that our plane crashes on the way home,” Cloud told Front Office Sports. “I think as one of the main faces of our league, too, it creates a dialogue that needs to be had. It puts pressure on Cathy, who we’ve been begging to step up for us in these spaces.”
“Now I think it demands her to actually take some initiative and to do something about it. I don’t know what it is that she’s going to do, but I also think that simple statements of not condoning shit is also really good for public relations as well,” Cloud continued.
Key members of the Women’s National Basketball Players Association are set to meet with Engelbert and league leadership Tuesday in New York to discuss the spike in harassment toward players, according to The Athletic.
