Steve Sarkisian Apologized, Now It’s Time To Move On

Steve Sarkisian apologized for his “irresponsible” actions at Salute To Troy during a press conference Tuesday, citing a mixture of medication and alcohol for his behavior, which will not result in a suspension.

“I truly believe in myself as a coach to lead this team and be the best coach for this team to win a championship,” Sarkisian said. “I’m thankful that I’m surrounded by wonderful people. I’m thankful that I’m at this university that can offer no better support than any other university in the country, but I was not right.

“I regret it. I’m sorry. I’m sorry for all of our fans and donors and all the people that were in attendance, but I’m going to move forward. And we’re going to be great.”

Sarkisian was genuinely contrite.

He said his piece, indicating that he would be seeking help. He candidly admitted that he does not know if he needs rehab for his alcohol consumption, but that he will take steps to examine himself in that regard. He also swore off alcohol for the season and confirmed that it would not be permitted in the coaches locker room.

Pat Haden said his piece in private and in his statement on Sunday on the issue.

The players said their piece as well.

“The bottom line for us is that’s our head coach and we’re going to support him no matter what,” Cody Kessler said, standing alongside defensive captain Su’a Cravens at the podium. “Mistakes happen, stuff happens but at the end of the day as a team we’ve moved on.

“He came to us as a man. He apologized, looked us in the face, told us some things and that’s hard to do. But I think he earned more respect from us and the team. I think it brought us closer together.”

There will be no suspension, but that does not mean Sarkisian escaped punishment.

The head coach told his leadership committee that he would accept whatever form they felt was appropriate. They settled on “hard lessons.” That means yesterday he underwent the same punishment that a player would go through for making a mistake: up-downs.

Sarkisian said he may continue to undergo that punishment.

Hopefully, the one thing that will not continue is the storm surrounding this situation. If Sarkisian does indeed need help, he is now in the best position to receive it. His players now know that he will answer for his actions just as they do. And the Trojan family received an honest apology to close an unfortunate opening chapter to the 2015 season.

As the head coach and players said, they’re ready to move on. Fans, whether they wanted Sarkisian punished with more severity or not, should take heed.

We at Reign of Troy will follow suit. This is our last word on the subject.

We’re ready for some football.

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