"Do the damn thing Shedeur Sanders!!": South Carolina HC Dawn Staley pens stern message in support of Coach Prime’s son

South Carolina women's team head coach Dawn Staley was among the many to tweet in support of Coach Prime's son, Shedeur Sanders, after his debut with the Cleveland Browns.

In Friday night's preseason opener against the Carolina Panthers, the rookie quarterback went 14-for-23 for 138 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions. He also ran the ball four times for 19 yards as the Browns bagged a 30-10 road win.

Staley praised Shedeur's performance, appreciating that he came through despite his 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!!!" Staley tweeted.

dawnstaley

@dawnstaley

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!!!

Shedeur Sanders, who was projected as a late-first-round selection, was taken 144th overall by Cleveland. In his final season at Colorado, he led the Big 12 with 4,134 passing yards, 353 completions and 37 touchdowns. He won the prestigious Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, but concerns over arm strength and mobility contributed to his unexpected draft slide.

The 23-year-old needed to make a statement, especially with Cleveland's quarterback lineup that includes Deshaun Watson, Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, and Dillon Gabriel. He proved himself in his preseason debut, and while Sanders is unlikely to start in Week 1, his stock has risen significantly.

Dawn Staley speaks out on pay equity in women’s sports

Dawn Staley addressed the issue of 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", published in May, she said:

“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,” she added. “That wasn’t probably the most popular thing to do, but sometimes you have to do the unpopular right thing.”

Dawn Staley is a six-time WNBA All-Star and three-time Olympic gold medalist. She has coached South Carolina since 2008, leading the Gamecocks to nine SEC regular season titles, nine SEC tournament wins, eight Sweet Sixteens, six Final Fours and three national championships.