It’s August, so that must mean it’s Sark Week on the Pac-12 Networks.
Steve Sarkisian, already dealing with a divorce this offseason, now (reportedly) has another off-field issue with which to deal following an event late Saturday night. At the annual Salute to Troy event, a school-sponsored gala for big-money donors that features USC players, staff, coaches, their families and friends, the Trojans head coach took to the stage and, by multiple accounts, was extremely inebriated in doing so.
During this (reportedly) tipsy performance, Sarkisian, among other things, allegedly dropped f-bombs, told dildo jokes in mixed company and stated that “Arizona State, Notre Dame and Oregon suck,” although some college football fans would argue the latter was merely a statement of fact. It got so bad, SBNation.com reports, that “Sarkisian could not complete his speech and was pulled off stage by athletic director Pat Haden and former Trojan legend John McKay.”
That same website wrote that “Sarkisian was definitely drunk at the event and slurring his words during the speech. That’s been confirmed by multiple sources at the party.” Additionally, the donors -- and some fans -- who were present were not pleased with how the coach acted on such a public stage.
So, (reportedly) pulled off stage by your boss and (reportedly) pissed off the money men surrounding the football program? Not a good off-field look for a coach, especially if your 2015 team can’t meet the extremely high on-field expectations being heaped upon it entering the new season. And one who already wasn’t popular with a sizable chunk of the fan base to begin with.
As the saying goes, drink on, Trojans. Drink on.
(Writer’s note: an email sent to a USC official asking if the school would be commenting/releasing a statement on the reports was answered with a response of “Will let you know.”)
