Texas coach Steve Sarkisian accepted blame Thursday for not staying for a postgame interview with ESPN reporter Holly Rowe after the then-No. 4 Longhorns rallied from 20 points down in the fourth quarter to defeat then-No. 1 Ohio State on Saturday.
Sarkisian’s abrupt exit during Rowe’s first question led to an inappropriate comment on a social media post by Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning on Monday, for which Manning later apologized to Rowe directly.
“Obviously, we have a ton of respect for ESPN and for Holly,” Sarkisian said in his media availability Thursday. “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.”
Minutes after Texas’ 24-23 comeback victory in Austin, Sarkisian cut off a question by Rowe on the field, responding with “Texas fight. Hook ‘em!” before walking off. The coach’s interviews at halftime and postgame each were delayed because of ESPN’s technical issues.
“If hindsight’s 20/20, if I could do it all over again, I would have exuded more patience in that moment and sat through and waited for the interview with Holly,” Sarkisian said.
Social media ran rampant in the aftermath of the exchange. One post was an AI-generated video of Sarkisian slapping Rowe. Manning referenced the fake video in his media availability Monday, calling it “hilarious.” The senior was swiftly condemned for that remark.
He posted an apology on his Instagram story Tuesday, addressing Rowe directly.
“In my press conference yesterday, I made an insensitive comment about an AI video,” Manning said in his post. “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.
“I specifically want to apologize to Holly Rowe for what she has personally had to deal with because of my comments. I have 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 going forward.”
Rowe posted on X that she and Manning had discussed his comment and she accepted his apology.
Sarkisian told reporters Thursday that he didn’t believe Manning was acting maliciously when he made his comment.
“In no way do we condone domestic violence or violence against women,” Sarkisian said. “At his core, he knows what he believes in and what he stands for.”
