Serena Williams’s coach, Rennae Stubbs, defended Toronto Tempo coach Sandy Brondello, arguing that her controversial remark on Angel Reese was not racist.
During Friday’s game, Brondello was caught on a hot mic referring to the Atlanta Dream player Angel Reese as a ‘protected species’ while arguing with officials after a collision that left Toronto player Nyara Sabally injured. The comment resulted in a one-game WNBA suspension for her.
Following the backlash, she issued a public apology to Reese on social media, saying that she took full responsibility for her words and acknowledged that their impact went beyond what she intended.
Shortly after the incident, Las Vegas Aces coach Becky Hammon came to Brondello’s defense during a media appearance. A clip of Hammon’s comments was shared on Instagram Threads, where one user criticized both coaches, writing:
View on Threads
The post caught the attention of Rennae Stubbs, who backed the Tempo coach. Stubbs, who is also Australian, said she understood what Brondello meant by the remark and argued that it was not intended to be racist.
“A former colleague and coach who is a black women said the exact same thing. Are you going to attack her too? Or are you going to maybe listen to the people who personally know Sandy and know the person she is. And as an Australian i can tell u, that comment is not about color of someone’s skin but of bad refereeing in sports, from one’s eyes. Sandy is literally the kindest person you could ever meet and “not a racist!” That quote from her former colleague,” wrote Serena Williams’ coach.
View on Threads
Serena Williams’ coach Rennae Stubbs fired back at a fan critiquing her for defending Sandy Brondello
After Serena Williams’ coach, Rennae Stubbs, took a stand for Sandy Brondello, one of the users on X took a jab at her on Instagram Threads, writing:
“Oh LOOKIE yet another white woman centering white women.”
Stubbs immediately clapped back, saying she was speaking as someone who knows Brindello personally. Defending both herself and the basketball coach, she wrote:
“No just a person who knows the person, knows exactly what type of person she is. Just like her former colleague who is a woman of color also saying the same thing. No 1 is saying that there isn’t racism in this world/ country but those that know Sandy including her friends who are black know she’s not a racist. Racism is everywhere & it’s awful but this is NOT one of those moments. Sandy is respected for those reasons! She’s kind & thoughtful. This was a comment about the refs fav whistle period.”
View on Threads
Rennae Stubbs started coaching Serena Williams again in March for her 2026 comeback.
Read more:
College Sports Network has you covered with the latest news, analysis, insights, and trending stories in tennis, college football, men’s college basketball, women’s college basketball, and college baseball!
