Some of the people in the media, when you're gathering in public, you're saying things about our team, and you're being heard, and it's being brought back to me," Staley said. "And these are the people that write nationally for our sport."
South Carolina's two-time national champion coach clarified that she and her team aren't above valid criticism, "but when you say things that you probably should be saying in your home on the phone or texting out in public and you're being heard, and you are a national writer for our sport, it just confirms what we already know. So watch what you say when you're in public and you're talking about my team in particular."
Win or lose, South Carolina women's basketball coach Dawn Staley knew she had to go to bat for her roster after Friday's Final Four games.
So, when a reporter asked Staley about "the truth about her team" and its style of play after a 77-73 loss to Iowa in the national semifinals, she delivered a clear message about her majority Black roster to the sporting world at large - and one unnamed national media member in particular.
"We're not bar fighters," Staley said. "We're not thugs. We're not monkeys. We're not street fighters. This team exemplifies how you need to approach basketball on the court and off the court. And I do think that that's sometimes brought into the game, and it hurts."
Staley said she felt compelled to defend USC