Sarkisian Regrets Rushing Off Field After Texas' Comeback Win

Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian acknowledged that he should have exercised more patience during his postgame interview with ESPN's Holly Rowe after his team's dramatic 24-23 comeback win against Ohio State. Sarkisian was seen running off the field to celebrate with his team before Rowe could ask her first question.

"As it pertains to after the ball game, again there was a delay after I greeted Coach Day in the middle of the field. There was a delay in the moment, you know, through that delay, I wanted to go celebrate with our team," Sarkisian said, according to On Texas Football. "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 sat through and waited for the interview with Holly."

Sarkisian expressed significant respect for ESPN and Rowe, noting their long-standing relationship. "Holly and I go way back to even 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," he stated. "So, could have definitely handled that situation better with a little bit more patience in the moment."

The incident gained further attention when artificial intelligence-generated videos depicted Sarkisian slapping Rowe, leading to an apology from Texas quarterback Arch Manning. Manning had initially described the AI videos as humorous but later apologized to Rowe for his "insensitive" comments, an apology that Rowe accepted. Sarkisian emphasized that his program and Manning do not condone violence against women.

"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."

Reports suggest that a technical delay during halftime with another ESPN crew, involving reporter Laura Rutledge, may have contributed to Sarkisian's heightened emotional state prior to the postgame incident. Rutledge was also seen attempting to reach Sarkisian as he headed to the locker room. Ultimately, Sarkisian and Manning have offered apologies, and the Longhorns are preparing for their next game as one of the top-ranked teams in the country.