USC head football coach Steve Sarkisian apologized Tuesday for his inappropriate behavior at a university event — and was subjected to his players’ choice of punishment.
Sarkisian, who dropped an expletive and offered some disparaging remarks about several of USC’s rivals in an apparently drunken address at Saturday night’s “Salute to Troy” event, explained himself to reporters after Tuesday’s practice.
“I took medication, I mixed it with alcohol, not a lot, unfortunately, and I responded in a way that was not acceptable,” Sarkisian said, via the Los Angeles Times. He added that he will undergo treatment to determine whether he has a drinking problem.
“I don’t believe (I have a problem),” he told reporters. “But through (athletic director Pat Haden) and through the university, I’m going to find that out.
“I’m going to treatment. I’m going to deal with it. In the meantime, I’m going to be the head football coach here, and I believe I can be.”
Following the incident, Sarkisian said, alcohol no longer will be allowed in the coaches locker room at Trojans games.
Sarkisian also asked his players to issue him a punishment for his behavior. Their choice, quarterback Cody Kessler told FOX Sports’ Stewart Mandel, was a set of up-downs.
[tweet https://twitter.com/slmandel/status/636195912084094976 align=’center’]
“The bottom line for us is that’s our head coach,” Kessler said, via the Times. “We’re going to support him no matter what. Mistakes happen. Stuff happens. At the end of the day as a team we’ve moved on.”
USC, ranked eighth in The Associated Press’ preseason Top 25 poll, opens its season Sept. 5 against Arkansas State.
Thumbnail photo via Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports Images
