Steve Sarkisian addressed the media Tuesday morning before practice regarding his actions at Salute to Troy over the weekend. Below is the full transcript:
Opening statement
Sarkisian: "So first and foremost I’d like to apologize for my behavior Saturday night. It was inappropriate, I feel bad for the University of Southern California. I feel bad for Max Nikias, Pat Haden, I feel bad for our players, and I feel bad for my own kids, that the way I acted was irresponsible and something that I obviously don’t condone. I’ve met with Pat at length. There are things that we’re going to work on for me moving forward. But it's a hard time. It’s a hard time. And I truly believe in myself as a coach. I truly believe in myself as a coach to lead this team and to be the best coach for this to team to go win a championship.
“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. And I think the moral of the story is this: When you mix meds with alcohol, sometimes you say things and/or do things that you regret. And 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. And I can’t wait to start coaching again today with the team that we have.
"I’ve reached out to Max, I’ve tried to reach out to Max, I know there’s going to be people that agree with what I say. I know there’s going to be some people that disagree with what I say. But the reality of it is, I’ve got unbelievable support here. I’ve got a great team here. I’ve got unbelievable leaders on this team here, I’ve got a great coaching staff here and I’m thankful for that, so I’ll move forward.
What happened?
Sarkisian: "I took medication and mixed it with alcohol. Not a lot, unfortunately. And I responded in a way that was not acceptable for me or the university."
How are you going to keep this distraction from affecting your team's performance on the field and have you talked to or will you talk to the team about your issues?
Sarkisian: "I met with the team, we have a leadership committee, I met with the team. The leadership committee has been tremendous in their support of who I am and what I’m about. I met with our team, I’ve disclosed everything to the team, I’ve opened myself up to the team. When it comes to what medication I’m taking, I think that’s an issue that really should remain private, quite honestly. But I think our team knows where I’m at and I’m thankful for them that they’re here again today, we’re getting ready to go."
Because of what happened … do you have a drinking problem?
Sarkisian: "No, I don’t believe so. But, through Pat and through the university, I’m going to find that out. I’m going to go 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. I don’t know what else more there is to say about that."
Some coaches say they will swear off drinking during the season. Will you swear off drinking for the rest of the season?
Sarkisian: "Sure. Without a doubt. I want to win a championship, and I believe we have a championship-quality team. And that’s what my focus is."
Isn’t it difficult to be in rehab while still coaching?
Sarkisian: I don’t even know if I need rehab. That’s part of the process, and I credit Pat Haden for this. He has put things in place for me to have meetings to figure that out. I’ll address them as they come. I’ve got a great staff that can support me along the way. And we’ll see what comes out of it.
What did you say to the team?
Sarkisian: "I made a mistake. Just like they might have or I might have. I made a mistake. We have to deal with them. We have to live with them. I did what was, in their opinion, ‘hard lessons’ yesterday. I’m sore today, I have to admit. I’ll probably do them again today because I deserve it."
Will you ban alcohol from the locker room this year?
Sarkisian: "I think that’s important, that we understand, is there alcohol in the locker room or not? There was never alcohol in our players’ locker room. … There was alcohol in our coaches’ locker room after great wins, one way or the other. And I don’t know if we’re any different from any other organization or program, but there won’t be any alcohol in our building ever again."
Do you feel that any of the events were overblown or that you’ve been treated unfairly?
Sarkisian: "No. At the end of the day, you play the hand you’re dealt. Whether you get a pair of aces or you get a 2 and a 7, you play the hand you’re dealt. My hand is my hand. I’m going to play my hand. I’m not proud of the things that have occurred for me. But I know I’m a good football coach, and I know we’re going to be a good football team."
Is it going to be difficult to discipline players for missteps now that you’ve committed one?
Sarkisian: " I don’t think so. I think we’re all held to a very high standard. I’ve disciplined myself already. I will continue to do that. I don’t think it’s going to be difficult, quite honestly. I think our players understand. I’m appreciative of that. We’ve got great leadership on this team. We’ll move forward."
Was a suspension ever discussed with Pat?
Sarkisian: "Pat and I had talks at great lengths. And I appreciate Pat for his honesty. I appreciate Pat for his understanding. I appreciate Pat for him saying these are the standards we have to live by moving forward. And I accepted them."
Closing statement
Sarkisian: "Thank you for taking the time and showing up. I apologize to you guys for, on your day off, having to deal with my issues. But here we are. We’ll move forward. Hopefully, when there’s a lot of media around moving forward, it’s about more of a positive light."
Opening statement
Sarkisian: "So first and foremost I’d like to apologize for my behavior Saturday night. It was inappropriate, I feel bad for the University of Southern California. I feel bad for Max Nikias, Pat Haden, I feel bad for our players, and I feel bad for my own kids, that the way I acted was irresponsible and something that I obviously don’t condone. I’ve met with Pat at length. There are things that we’re going to work on for me moving forward. But it's a hard time. It’s a hard time. And I truly believe in myself as a coach. I truly believe in myself as a coach to lead this team and to be the best coach for this to team to go win a championship.
“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. And I think the moral of the story is this: When you mix meds with alcohol, sometimes you say things and/or do things that you regret. And 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. And I can’t wait to start coaching again today with the team that we have.
"I’ve reached out to Max, I’ve tried to reach out to Max, I know there’s going to be people that agree with what I say. I know there’s going to be some people that disagree with what I say. But the reality of it is, I’ve got unbelievable support here. I’ve got a great team here. I’ve got unbelievable leaders on this team here, I’ve got a great coaching staff here and I’m thankful for that, so I’ll move forward.
What happened?
Sarkisian: "I took medication and mixed it with alcohol. Not a lot, unfortunately. And I responded in a way that was not acceptable for me or the university."
How are you going to keep this distraction from affecting your team's performance on the field and have you talked to or will you talk to the team about your issues?
Sarkisian: "I met with the team, we have a leadership committee, I met with the team. The leadership committee has been tremendous in their support of who I am and what I’m about. I met with our team, I’ve disclosed everything to the team, I’ve opened myself up to the team. When it comes to what medication I’m taking, I think that’s an issue that really should remain private, quite honestly. But I think our team knows where I’m at and I’m thankful for them that they’re here again today, we’re getting ready to go."
Because of what happened … do you have a drinking problem?
Sarkisian: "No, I don’t believe so. But, through Pat and through the university, I’m going to find that out. I’m going to go 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. I don’t know what else more there is to say about that."
Some coaches say they will swear off drinking during the season. Will you swear off drinking for the rest of the season?
Sarkisian: "Sure. Without a doubt. I want to win a championship, and I believe we have a championship-quality team. And that’s what my focus is."
Isn’t it difficult to be in rehab while still coaching?
Sarkisian: I don’t even know if I need rehab. That’s part of the process, and I credit Pat Haden for this. He has put things in place for me to have meetings to figure that out. I’ll address them as they come. I’ve got a great staff that can support me along the way. And we’ll see what comes out of it.
What did you say to the team?
Sarkisian: "I made a mistake. Just like they might have or I might have. I made a mistake. We have to deal with them. We have to live with them. I did what was, in their opinion, ‘hard lessons’ yesterday. I’m sore today, I have to admit. I’ll probably do them again today because I deserve it."
Will you ban alcohol from the locker room this year?
Sarkisian: "I think that’s important, that we understand, is there alcohol in the locker room or not? There was never alcohol in our players’ locker room. … There was alcohol in our coaches’ locker room after great wins, one way or the other. And I don’t know if we’re any different from any other organization or program, but there won’t be any alcohol in our building ever again."
Do you feel that any of the events were overblown or that you’ve been treated unfairly?
Sarkisian: "No. At the end of the day, you play the hand you’re dealt. Whether you get a pair of aces or you get a 2 and a 7, you play the hand you’re dealt. My hand is my hand. I’m going to play my hand. I’m not proud of the things that have occurred for me. But I know I’m a good football coach, and I know we’re going to be a good football team."
Is it going to be difficult to discipline players for missteps now that you’ve committed one?
Sarkisian: " I don’t think so. I think we’re all held to a very high standard. I’ve disciplined myself already. I will continue to do that. I don’t think it’s going to be difficult, quite honestly. I think our players understand. I’m appreciative of that. We’ve got great leadership on this team. We’ll move forward."
Was a suspension ever discussed with Pat?
Sarkisian: "Pat and I had talks at great lengths. And I appreciate Pat for his honesty. I appreciate Pat for his understanding. I appreciate Pat for him saying these are the standards we have to live by moving forward. And I accepted them."
Closing statement
Sarkisian: "Thank you for taking the time and showing up. I apologize to you guys for, on your day off, having to deal with my issues. But here we are. We’ll move forward. Hopefully, when there’s a lot of media around moving forward, it’s about more of a positive light."
