Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian reflected on Thursday regarding a tense postgame interview with ESPN reporter Holly Rowe, which followed the Longhorns’ recent victory over Ohio State. Sarkisian acknowledged that the friction during that interaction ultimately contributed to the viral spread of misleading, AI-generated content depicting a physical altercation, as well as a subsequent public misstep by his starting quarterback, Arch Manning.
The coach noted that the original delay in his postgame and halftime interviews left him eager to join his team’s celebration, but he expressed regret for his lack of patience at the time. “Obviously we have a ton of respect for ESPN and for Holly,” Sarkisian stated. “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.”
Following the interview, Manning faced intense public backlash after making a joke about a fabricated video that falsely showed Sarkisian striking Rowe. Manning issued a formal apology the following day directly to the reporter, and Rowe later confirmed on social media that she accepted the gesture. Sarkisian emphasized that Manning, a prominent college athlete with major endorsement deals from companies including Google Gemini and Red Bull, understood the gravity of his mistake.
Addressing the broader implications of the controversy, Sarkisian stressed that his program maintains a firm stance against violence toward women. He noted his belief that Manning’s attempt at humor lacked any malicious intent, telling reporters, “In no way do we condone domestic violence or violence against women.” Sarkisian maintained that the quarterback is a person of integrity, adding, “At his core, he knows what he believes in and what he stands for.” The report also notes that some of the public criticism of Manning has also blamed Sarkisian for not taking a moment to conduct the interview. The report also notes that and several others since the controversy erupted, the short exchange spawned the fake video that Manning joked about.
