Dawn Staley Applauds Shedeur Sanders’ Impressive NFL Preseason Debut, Speaks Out on Pay Equity
South Carolina women’s basketball head coach Dawn Staley was quick to show her support for Shedeur Sanders, the son of Coach Prime, after his strong NFL preseason debut with the Cleveland Browns.
In Friday night’s opener against the Carolina Panthers, Sanders completed 14 of 23 passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns, with zero interceptions. He also added 19 rushing yards on four carries, helping the Browns cruise to a 30-10 road win.
Staley took to X (formerly Twitter) to praise the rookie’s poise and resilience, especially after his unexpected slide in the NFL Draft:
“Super happy for @ShedeurSanders! You can try to break a young fella’s spirit but you can’t touch his talent! Do the damn thing Shedeur!!!”
Once considered a late first-round prospect, Sanders instead went 144th overall to Cleveland. In his final season at Colorado, he led the Big 12 with 4,134 passing yards, 353 completions, and 37 touchdowns, earning the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award. Still, questions about his arm strength and mobility saw him fall down draft boards.
With Deshaun Watson, Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, and Dillon Gabriel ahead of him on the depth chart, Sanders needed a strong showing to make his case—and he delivered. While a Week 1 starting role is unlikely, his performance has significantly boosted his stock.
Staley on Pay Equity: “You Have to Fight for It”
Away from the football spotlight, Staley recently addressed pay equity in women’s sports during an appearance on CBS Mornings while promoting her memoir, Uncommon Favor: Basketball, North Philly, My Mother and the Life Lessons I Learned from All Three.
“It’s important to have those conversations because it aren’t being had,” Staley said. “I’ve been very blessed by pay equity—not blessed, I fought for it. It’s not just gonna come to you. You actually have to approach them with what you think your worth is. Once you know your worth, you’re unafraid to speak on what you think it is, whether they believe so or not.
Fortunately for me, I worked at a university and athletics department that listened. That wasn’t probably the most popular thing to do, but sometimes you have to do the unpopular right thing.”
A six-time WNBA All-Star and three-time Olympic gold medalist, Staley has coached South Carolina since 2008, guiding the Gamecocks to nine SEC regular-season titles, nine SEC tournament championships, eight Sweet Sixteens, six Final Fours, and three national championships.
