South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley isn’t backing down about her faith, even when some in the media are calling her to do so.
The Gamecocks made their way to the Final Four in the NCAA tournament for the fourth straight season, and a year after they had their undefeated streak end come to an end at the hands of the Iowa Hawkeyes, led by Caitlin Clark.
After winning their Elite Eight game, Staley was talking to reporters about their situation when she brought up her faith, and said one thing that didn’t sit right with some:
“God is really, he’s really funny. The devastating loss that we had last year, to put us back here with a totally different scene. If you don’t believe in God, something is wrong with you, seriously.”
In case you didn’t catch it, that last part about “something being wrong” with people that don’t believe in God is what has some people up in arms. So much so that some members of the media have called for, or at least implied, that Staley should walk her comments back.
But when she was given the opportunity to yesterday during time with media, the South Carolina head coach doubled down on her earlier comments:
“What if I said, ‘If you don’t watch women’s basketball, there’s something seriously wrong with you? Would you take it as threatening as somebody took the other?
I mean, it’s a figure of speech, if you can’t comprehend that, then tune me out. Tune me out because I’m not here to offend anybody. That is not my make-up. That’s not my character.
So if you’re just tuning in for one interview and you probably heard it from somebody else who heard it from somebody else and it’s hearsay, then you can have your take on it. I’m not apologizing.
I’m not gonna apologize for what I said and what I feel because I know my life and I know why things have happened in my life. And I’m gonna salute God as much as I can because I know it’s not just my doing.”
Hey, more power to Coach Staley for sticking to what she believes in, and standing by what she said.
Athletes and coaches have been more outspoken about their faith as of late, as you might remember rookie sensation and QB for the Houston Texans CJ Stroud spoke a lot about his belief in God during the past NFL season.
