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USC makes Steve Sarkisian take leave of absence to seek treatment, Clay Helton named interim head coach

By Patrick Schmidt

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USC Trojans head coach Steve Sarkisian is taking a leave of absence after reportedly coaching drunk during games and showing up to practice not sober.

Steve Sarkisian is taking a temporary leave of absence to seek treatment and Clay Helton will take over as the interim head coach of the USC Trojans, according to Lindsey Thiry from the L.A. Times.

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According to Scott Wolf of the Los Angeles Daily News, Sarkisian was not in “good shape” this morning and later said multiple sources confirmed Sarkisian was not in normal condition. Fox Sports’ Bruce Feldman tweets Sarkisian showed up in no condition to work and USC is making him seek treatment.

Wolf reports Sarkisian showed up to the special teams meeting today and players could tell he was not sober and USC assistant coaches could tell he was not sober during the Arizona State win and even pulled him from a player huddle on the sideline.

This comes on the heels of Sarkisian having an embarrassing moment in August at the Salute to Troy event when he slurred his speech, used profanity and made disparaging comments about other teams.

“I sincerely apologize to my players and staff and to our fans for my behavior and my inappropriate language at our kickoff event Saturday night,” Sarkisian said in a statement then. “I have a responsibility to all of them and I let them down. Pat Haden talked to me after the event about my actions and I assured him this will not happen again.”

That was not the first time Sarkisian had his problems with alcohol revealed to his assistants and players. Wolf reports Sarkisian drank so much he passed out on the flight back from Washington State and photos were taken. After USC hosted Notre Dame in the Coliseum, Sarkisian reportedly drank a bottle of Patron Tequila.

USC athletic director made it clear how embarrassing and disappointing that moment was after the Salute to Troy event and went so far as to ban alcohol from the locker room. USC players made Sarkisian do up-downs. Sarkisian should have entered a treatment program then when it all looks so clear now that he was in need of help.

It’s still not too late for anyone to ask for help and hopefully Sarkisian will take the daily steps to get his life, career and his health back.

Meanwhile, USC is reeling after their second loss of the season to Washington on Thursday and their chances of a College Football Playoff berth are gone and their Pac-12 title hopes are remote, but the most important thing is getting Sarkisian healthy and ready to resume his career. Whether that is at USC or not.

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