Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian acknowledged on Thursday that he should have managed his postgame interview with ESPN reporter Holly Rowe with greater composure following the Longhorns’ victory over Ohio State. The coach admitted that his testy interaction with the media following the win contributed to the development of a situation that later drew Arch Manning into a public controversy. “At his core, he knows what he believes in and what he stands for,” Sarkisian said.
The incident centered on an AI-generated video that falsely depicted Sarkisian physically assaulting Rowe during the interview. Manning, the team’s star quarterback, faced significant backlash after joking about the fabricated footage in a public forum. Manning subsequently issued a formal apology to Rowe, which the reporter confirmed via social media that she had accepted. Sarkisian stated that his quarterback recognized the error in his remarks and expressed that the player possessed no malicious intent regarding the sensitive subject matter. And several others since the controversy erupted, the short exchange spawned the fake video that Manning joked about.
Sarkisian explained that the frustration during the exchange stemmed from the fact that both his halftime and postgame interviews were subject to delays, creating a desire to reach his team’s celebration promptly. “Obviously we have a ton of respect for ESPN and for Holly,” Sarkisian noted during his weekly conference call. “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.”
Reflecting on the fallout, the coach emphasized that the university does not tolerate domestic violence or aggression toward women. He defended his quarterback’s character, stating that despite the public misstep, Manning remains someone who understands his core values and beliefs. Manning, a prominent figure in college football, maintains significant endorsement deals with various high-profile brands, including Red Bull, Vuori, and Google Gemini.
