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Sheryl Swoopes and Sandy Brondello Imagn Images Sandy Brondellos comment on Angel Reese sparked a lot of debate on social media.
In the aftermath, the Toronto Tempo head coach even issued an apology to the center, but the league decided to suspend her for one game on Saturday.
The WNBA believed that it was an inappropriate comment, though some fans pointed out that it was a common Australian slang.
And now, former player Sheryl Swoopes expressed her thoughts on the statement.
During the fourth quarter of the Atlanta Dream vs.
Tempo game, Reese hit Nyara Sabally, and Sabally was given a defensive foul.
When the head coach spoke to the officials to express her disagreement, the mic seemingly caught her labeling Reese as a protected species, which several fans and other players believed was a racial remark.
In her latest Instagram story, the three-time WNBA MVP reshared a post from former player Tina Thompson that showed the meaning of the phrase in question, in which the latter wrote: Plant or animal is wild! For those that are unclear of the offense! Swoopes wrote on the story: THIS!!! Screenshot of the story (image via Instagram/@airswoopes22) A section of followers has refused to call this an offense.
As per ESPN: The phrase protected species has been used in Australian sports environments to express frustration over a lack of calls against a player as in the player being treated or officiated differently from others.
Meanwhile, Swoopes and others believe that the comment had a racial connotation and should not have been used publicly.
In her apology, Brondello even admitted the impact her statement might have had on the Black community and assured that she didnt intend to do that.
Sandy Brondellos comments underline a broader debate in the WNBA Some analysts and WNBA fans have highlighted a preferential treatment that Caitlin Clark has specifically received from officials and the league.
Meanwhile, the Indiana Fever guard often gets into tussles with referees over fouls.
Given the use of the phrase in Australia and the conversation about preferential treatment, the coach could be given the benefit of the doubt that she meant to keep the center on that list.
However, the league has announced the suspension.
Playing in another country sure comes with issues like language barriers, but the impact of some sensitive terminologies should be understood before one becomes a public figure.
Some fans have also called out WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert for being silent on these issues and not answering questions related to preferential treatment, among other issues.
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