Saturday Blitz
Fansided

USC coach Steve Sarkisian apologizes for behavior: ‘I’m going to treatment’

By Michael Collins

facebooktwitterreddit

USC Trojans head coach Steve Sarkisian has publicly apologized for his drunken outburst at this year’s Salute to Troy fundraising event, and vows he will get treatment for a problem.

RELATED: USC Trojans handed distraction after Steve Sarkisian incident

Steve Sarkisian has a problem. How deeply-rooted this problem is and whether or not it’s going to be a major problem for USC is still to be determined. But at least the Trojans head coach has the courage to admit there’s an issue and to get some help.

More from Pac-12

Well, sort of.

“I think the moral of the story is this: When you mix meds with alcohol, sometimes you say things or do things that you regret, and I regret it. I’m sorry. I’m sorry for all of our fans and donors and all the people that were in attendance,” Sarkisian said, per KABC Los Angeles.

That part is great. Acknowledging that you messed up, and apologizing to those whom you hurt with your actions.

But mixing meds and alcohol isn’t a normal thing, and although we don’t know precisely what the meds were (yet), it’s a safe bet that Sark’s MD and/or pharmacist didn’t recommend mixing them with booze. So where does that leave the USC coach?

The coach said that he’s “going to treatment” and that he’ll “deal with it”…words that have probably been uttered millions of times by people with an addiction or substance abuse problem. To top that off, Sarkisian doesn’t think he is an alcoholic or that rehab is necessarily the treatment he needs or will seek.

Sark was reportedly chewed out by athletic director Pat Haden following the incident, but there is no indication at this time that he’ll be suspended by the school for his actions.

“In the meantime, I’m going to be the head football coach here,” he said, adding after a question from the press that he was going to swear off drinking during the season.

This has all the earmarks of more than just an isolated incident for Sarkisian, and hopefully those who surround him will get him whatever help it is he needs. The USC football program is being looked at as a favorite in the Pac-12 this season, and yet another head coach distraction is not what the doctor ordered for the 2015 Trojans.

Next: 10 Smartest Head Coach Firings in the Last 10 Years

More from Saturday Blitz

Home/Pac-12