Quarterback Cody Kessler and linebacker Su'a Cravens were the lone two players assigned to speak with the media following Coach Steve Sakisian's presser. Here is the full transcript:
Opening statement:
Kessler: "The bottom line for us is that’s our head coach. 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, we’ve put it passed us.
"Me, Su’a, the whole team, we’ve all made mistakes before. He came to us as a man, apologized, looked us in the face, told us some things and that’s hard to do. At the end of the day, he earned more respect from us as a team, and I think it brought us closer together. Today everybody couldn’t wait to get out to practice … couldn’t wait to (be) back in our environment where we feel safe, where we feel comfortable with him as our head coach. There’s no one else in the country that we’d want as our head coach. No matter what happened or what’s been said. At the end of the day we’re going to support him 100 percent."
On what they were thinking Saturday during Salute to Troy when Sarkisian was on stage:
Kessler: "We saw it and we knew something wasn’t right because know how he is … we just figured this is an event, people here have been drinking and hanging out. We didn’t know the full story but like I said he came up to us the next day and apologized immediately. It wasn’t like he tried to hide or try to deny it. He came up to us, especially for some of the young freshman because a lot didn’t really understand and didn’t know what was going on to hear their coach come out and apologize …. Really did a lot for them as well as me."
On whether they felt, "Oh no, here we go again," given everything that's happened the past few years:
Cravens: "I don't think that it was us saying, 'Oh no, here we go again.’ We’ve dealt with much worse. Obviously everybody makes mistakes, and this is just another one of those things where it’s tough, we got to deal with it but we’ve moved on. He’s still our coach at the end of the day. We love him and we’re going to support him 100 percent."
On whether Sark can lead them to the goals they’ve set this year:
Kessler: "Of course. We’re the same team before and after the fact. Nothing has changed. We’re a tight locker room and we have a great coaching staff. Like I said, everybody makes mistakes. We’re focused on the season and that’s all that matters."
On whether it will be difficult to accept punishment from the coach when he hasn't been disciplined by the school:
Kessler: "No, not at all. Like he said he did hard lessons yesterday. For those who don’t know what hard lessons are – if you’re a player and you miss an opportunity, a meeting, you miss something you do up-downs, you get water poured on you. It’s something that you got to make up for what you’re missing. He said ‘whatever you what me to do, I’ll do it.’ If I was punishing a player, what do you guys want me to do? The leadership committee came up with that and he was all for it. At the end of the day, it happened. It is what it is. He’s accepted that and moved on from it. We’re ready to just get back to football. Coach Sark is the guy that we want coaching us and there’s no one else in the country that we’d want as our head coach. Me and Su'a and the rest of the team believe in him. Everything's still the same, everything that he does for us on the field. Nothing is going to change how other guys react or how other guys will treat him."
On what they came up with for Sark to do:
Kessler: "Same thing, up-downs. He came in just drenched, yesterday."
Opening statement:
Kessler: "The bottom line for us is that’s our head coach. 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, we’ve put it passed us.
"Me, Su’a, the whole team, we’ve all made mistakes before. He came to us as a man, apologized, looked us in the face, told us some things and that’s hard to do. At the end of the day, he earned more respect from us as a team, and I think it brought us closer together. Today everybody couldn’t wait to get out to practice … couldn’t wait to (be) back in our environment where we feel safe, where we feel comfortable with him as our head coach. There’s no one else in the country that we’d want as our head coach. No matter what happened or what’s been said. At the end of the day we’re going to support him 100 percent."
On what they were thinking Saturday during Salute to Troy when Sarkisian was on stage:
Kessler: "We saw it and we knew something wasn’t right because know how he is … we just figured this is an event, people here have been drinking and hanging out. We didn’t know the full story but like I said he came up to us the next day and apologized immediately. It wasn’t like he tried to hide or try to deny it. He came up to us, especially for some of the young freshman because a lot didn’t really understand and didn’t know what was going on to hear their coach come out and apologize …. Really did a lot for them as well as me."
On whether they felt, "Oh no, here we go again," given everything that's happened the past few years:
Cravens: "I don't think that it was us saying, 'Oh no, here we go again.’ We’ve dealt with much worse. Obviously everybody makes mistakes, and this is just another one of those things where it’s tough, we got to deal with it but we’ve moved on. He’s still our coach at the end of the day. We love him and we’re going to support him 100 percent."
On whether Sark can lead them to the goals they’ve set this year:
Kessler: "Of course. We’re the same team before and after the fact. Nothing has changed. We’re a tight locker room and we have a great coaching staff. Like I said, everybody makes mistakes. We’re focused on the season and that’s all that matters."
On whether it will be difficult to accept punishment from the coach when he hasn't been disciplined by the school:
Kessler: "No, not at all. Like he said he did hard lessons yesterday. For those who don’t know what hard lessons are – if you’re a player and you miss an opportunity, a meeting, you miss something you do up-downs, you get water poured on you. It’s something that you got to make up for what you’re missing. He said ‘whatever you what me to do, I’ll do it.’ If I was punishing a player, what do you guys want me to do? The leadership committee came up with that and he was all for it. At the end of the day, it happened. It is what it is. He’s accepted that and moved on from it. We’re ready to just get back to football. Coach Sark is the guy that we want coaching us and there’s no one else in the country that we’d want as our head coach. Me and Su'a and the rest of the team believe in him. Everything's still the same, everything that he does for us on the field. Nothing is going to change how other guys react or how other guys will treat him."
On what they came up with for Sark to do:
Kessler: "Same thing, up-downs. He came in just drenched, yesterday."
