Things are unraveling at a rapid pace for USC head football coach Steve Sarkisian. Following the now infamous incident on Saturday night at the “Salute to Troy” event, a school-sponsored gala for big-money donors, in which Sarkisian, while under the influence of alcohol and other medication (specifics of which are not known at this time), made vulgar remarks and said that Arizona State, Notre Dame, and Oregon all “suck.”
On Tuesday, Sarkisian addressed the events that took place, saying, “The moral of the story is this: when you mix meds with alcohol, sometimes you say things or do things you regret. He later added: “The way I acted was irresponsible. There are things we’re going to work on for me, moving forward.”
When asked if he thought he had a drinking problem, Sarkisian said, “No, I don’t believe so. But through [Athletic Director] Pat [Haden] and through the university I’m going to find that out.” He later clarified that meant he would be going through some sort of treatment program.
It would be one thing if this was an isolated incident for Sarkisian, but that does not appear to be the case. USC felt it necessary following the incident to ban alcohol from the locker room, according to Los Angeles Daily News reporter Scott Wolf , and reports from the Daily News also claim that sources within the USC administration say that Sarkisian would drink alcohol after games both in the Coliseum and on the road.
Sarkisian has been going through a very public divorce this offseason and has been forced to sell his home so it’s safe to say this offseason has been an unmitigated disaster for him personally, and in turn the USC program. At this point, we can only hope Sarkisian gets the help he needs to turn his life in the right direction if in fact he does have a serious substance abuse problem. USC opens their season September 5th against Arkansas State, and it’s unclear whether or not Sarkisian will be coaching in that game.
(Via: Los Angeles Daily News)
