Steve Sarkisian breaks silence on Holly Rowe ESPN interview controversy
Texas coach Steve Sarkisian offered a lengthy explanation to the dramatic pair of interviews that have drawn headlines from the Longhorns’ come-from-behind win over Ohio State on Saturday, plus star quarterback Arch Manning laughing about an AI video showcasing Sarkisian slapping Rowe.
Sarkisian has come under fire for giving Rowe, following the 24-23 win over the then-No. 1 Buckeyes, a 10-word remark and running away before she even finished her first question.
“That’s called Texas fight! That’s called Texas fight! Hook ’em!” Sarkisian said before leaving.
Rowe appeared quite miffed with the brief interaction.
“As as it pertains to after the ball game, again there was a delay after I greeted Coach Day in the middle of the field,” Sarkisian said, per On Texas Football. “There was a delay in the moment, you know, through that delay, I wanted to go celebrate with our team. We just had a 21-point fourth-quarter comeback against the No. 1 team in the country. If hindsight’s 20/20, if I could do it all over again, I would have exuded more patience in that moment and and and sat through and waited for the interview with Holly.
“Obviously, we have a ton of respect for ESPN and Holly. Holly and I go way back to even to my days of playing at BYU, and we’ve got a great relationship. ESPN is a great partner of ours. We know we’re going to have more opportunities with that crew covering us, and we’re looking forward to those opportunities. So, could have definitely handled that situation better with a little bit more patience in the moment.”
Sarkisian’s actions and the short nature of the segment led to the clip going viral, and an individual created an AI version in which Sarkisian slapped Rowe before exiting.
Manning, during a press conference Monday, mentioned that he had seen a few AI edits, and specifically brought up “him slapping Holly Rowe” and describing it as hilarious.
He apologized Tuesday for the remark and to Rowe, calling his words “insensitive” and vowing to “be more thoughtful going forward.”
Rowe revealed the two spoke after his press conference and she appreciated his apology, adding: “We move forward with respect and kindness for one another.”
Sarkisian labeled his quarterback’s words “a mistake.”
“Obviously Arch recognizes he made a mistake, and it’s an unfortunate one,” Sarkisian said. “Nowhere do we condone domestic violence or violence against women. Nothing in our program says that nor Arch individually. I think if he could take it back, he would. But he has since apologized to Holly. He’s made a public apology, and you know our goal is that we can move forward and him be the guy that that we all know that he is and what he represents. So those are the two house cleaning things I wanted to make sure I address with with all of you on this call, and then get into the football side of things.”
Sarkisian also opened up on him missing his scheduled halftime interview with ESPN’s Laura Rutledge, although she previously explained that he had attempted to wait before bailing.
ESPN captured Rutledge running toward the tunnel with Ohio State ahead 20-3, and she credited him for waiting and attempting to give the interview a go before leaving to be with his team.
“ESPN was having technical difficulties, and I had to make a had to make a in in-moment decision to say wait on the interview or try to get with our team and try to make the proper adjustments to come out and play as good as we could in the second half,” he said.
“I let Laura know that, and I think she said that on air. And then I had an opportunity to visit with Laura when we came back out of the locker room to let her know where where our thoughts were as a team and what we needed to do in the second half of that game.”
Texas is now the nation’s new No. 1 team the Longhorns host UTSA as a massive favorite Saturday.
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