Staley signaled that she was ready for any potential blowback caused by her comments.
Transgender athletes should be allowed to compete in women’s sports, South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley said ahead of her team’s NCAA Tournament championship game.
Staley made the comments during a news conference Saturday when asked by OutKick reporter Dan Zaksheske whether she believes “biological males” should be “included” in women’s sports.
“I’m on the opinion of if you’re a woman you should play,” Staley said. “If you consider yourself a woman and you want to play sports, or vice versa, you should be able to play. That’s my opinion.”
Staley was speaking to reporters ahead of South Carolina’s championship matchup against Iowa on Sunday.
Iowa coach Lisa Bluder declined to answer the same question later on.
“I understand it’s a topic that people are interested in, but today my focus is on the game tomorrow, my players,” Bluder said.
