WNBA silence on DiJonai Carrington's 'White privilege' post exposes Sandy Brondello double standard
More than two days after Chicago Sky guard DiJonai Carrington explicitly invoked race by posting "WHITE PRIVILEGE @indianafever" on Threads moments after being ejected from a game against the Fever, the league apparently had nothing to say.Carrington then suited up and played for the Sky against the Seattle Storm on Monday night.FLORIDA ATTORNEY GENERAL OFFERS HIS RESPONSE TO BRUTAL FOUL ON SOPHIE CUNNINGHAMSeems like a pretty clear double standard.Chicago Sky guard DiJonai Carrington commits a flagrant 2 foul against Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham.(Kamil Krzaczynski/Imagn Images)Let's start with Brondello.During a July 17 game against the Atlanta Dream, Brondello became upset after officials called a foul on Nyara Sabally while she battled Angel Reese for a rebound.
Sabally went down in pain, and Brondello complained that Reese was a "protected species."Brondello is Australian, where "protected species" is a common sports expression used to describe an athlete perceived to receive favorable treatment from officials.The context made her meaning pretty clear, too.
She was complaining about a foul call.Still, because Reese is Black, the comment was quickly given a racial interpretation.Reese also leaned into the racial narrative by posting "ARE WE SURPRISED" shortly after the game.Brondello apologized the following morning, saying her frustration was with the officiating and acknowledging that her words had an impact beyond what she intended, "particularly for Black women in our league."Apparently, that wasn't enough.The WNBA suspended Toronto Tempo head coach Sandy Brondello one game for calling Atlanta Dream forward a "protected species" during a game.
(Getty Images)On July 18, less than a day after Brondello made the comment, the WNBA suspended her without pay for one game.The league called it an "inappropriate comment" and said coaches and team personnel are expected to uphold the "highest standards of professionalism and respect."Reese later thanked th...