Texas Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian is finally breaking his silence. About the fallout of his awkward interview with ESPN reporter Holly Rowe last Saturday night (September 12).
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Sarkisian was obviously amped and still feeling the adrenaline effects of their 17-point comeback win over the Ohio State Buckeyes -- one of the top teams in the country. Rowe was trying to complete her customary interview with the head coach of the winning team. But Sarkisian was so pumped and ready to celebrate with his Longhorns team that he completely blew off Rowe. And she was clearly pretty upset about it.
Sarkisian Addresses Awkward Holly Rowe Interview
In his first public comments since the incident, Sarkisian admitted that he could have handled himself better.
"Obviously we have a ton of respect for ESPN and for Holly," Sarkisian said Thursday as caught by ESPN. "We could have handled that situation better with a little bit more patience in the moment. But that obviously led to the situation with Arch."
Longhorns starting quarterback Arch Manning was also involved in the fiasco. When visiting with reporters after the game, Arch referenced an AI-generated video where Sarkisian abruptly ended the interview before slapping Rowe across the face. He said that he and some of his teammates found the clip to be funny. Which obviously led to a lot of backlash.
Amid the backlash, Manning apologized for his "insensitive" comments.
"In my press conference yesterday, I made an insensitive comment about an AI video," he said in a social media post last Sunday (September 13). "There is nothing funny about it. It's easy to say I didn't mean it, but I know my words and actions were hurtful to a lot of people. I do not take that lightly and am deeply sorry for that."
He continued, "I specifically want to apologize to Holly Rowe for what she has personally had to deal with because of my comments. I habe a ton of respect for her and appreciate her showing me grace in this moment. I need to do better and will be more thoughtful moving forward."
