On Monday, the Toronto Tempo will play the WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces for the first time this season – but they’ll be without their head coach.
The league announced Saturday evening that Tempo head coach Sandy Brondello has been suspended one game without pay. The suspension comes after Brondello was seen making an ‘inappropriate comment’ during Friday’s Tempo game versus the Atlanta Dream and will be served during Monday’s game versus Las Vegas.
The league concluded their statement by saying “the WNBA expects all coaches and team personnel to uphold the highest standards of professionalism and respect that are fundamental to our league.”
In the fourth quarter of Friday’s game, Tempo centre Nyara Sabally was hurt during a play defending Dream star Angel Reese. Sabally needed to be attended to by medical staff and did not return to the game. While the play was reviewed by the officials, it was not deemed a hostile act.
After that call was announced, Brondello was seen negatively reacting to the ruling, complaining that Reese was a “protected species.” Video of the moment went viral, with Reese herself commenting on it on her personal social media pages.
Following the end of the game, Brondello said she was upset about the officiating and physicality in the game.
“[Atlanta was] the aggressor, they were getting all the fouls, rightly or wrongly,” Brondello said to the media. “We didn’t get many fouls at all. That’s the story of our [season].
We’re not getting all the calls that I think we should be, but the aggressor gets it. We just have to be tougher.”
On Saturday, Brondello issued a statement to her social media channels, apologizing to Reese for the comments:
“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.”
This will be the first game of the season that Brondello has missed for any reason. While there is no confirmation from the Tempo, it is expected that associate head coach Olaf Lange will take over for Brondello while she serves her suspension.
