Arch Manning Credit: Evan Vieth
By Sam Neumann, Drew Lerner on

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Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning has issued an apology to ESPN reporter Holly Rowe after making light of an AI-generated video in which Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian is depicted slapping Rowe in the face following the team’s win over Ohio State on Saturday.

The moment came about during Manning’s regular Monday media availability, two days after Texas engineered its stunning 20-point rally to beat Ohio State. Evan Vieth, a reporter for On3’s Inside Texas, had asked Manning a fairly innocuous question: whether he’d seen any of the TikTok and Twitter edits fans had assembled celebrating the win, but the conversation drifted toward an incident from Saturday’s postgame interview in which Sarkisian blew off Rowe during the post-game interview opportunity, gave the camera the Horns Up gesture, and then ran off (this coming after he was curt with Laura Rutledge at halftime).

“I’ve seen a few AI edits and stuff, but that’s about it. I saw AI edits of Sark’s interview,” Manning told reporters on Monday. After someone in the room referenced a specific AI version, Manning asked, “Have y’all seen that one? That’s a good one,” and laughed, adding, “Of him slapping Holly Rowe?”

As the mention of a video showing the Texas coach slapping a female ESPN reporter made a few other people in the room chuckle, Manning turned to someone off camera — presumably an SID — before looking forward and adding, “It’s hilarious.”

On Monday, Manning posted a statement on social media expressing regret over his remarks and specifically apologizing to Rowe.

“In my press conference yesterday, I made an insensitive comment about an AI video. There is nothing funny about it. It’s easy to say I didn’t mean it, but I know my words and actions were hurtful to a lot of people. I do not take that lightly and am deeply sorry for that,” Manning wrote.

“I specifically want to apologize to Holly Rowe for what she has personally had to deal with because of my comments. I have a ton of respect for her and appreciate her showing me grace in this moment. I need to do better and will be more thoughtful going forward.”

Rowe publicly accepted Manning’s apology shortly after the Longhorns quarterback issued his statement, and also indicated that the two had spoken privately.

“Thank you Arch. I appreciate our conversation about this – which will remain private. Apology accepted,” Rowe wrote. “We move forward with respect and kindness for one another.”

Vieth also apologized Monday for how he captioned the viral moment. The Inside Texas reporter, who asked the question and posted the clip, captioned Manning’s answer “gold.”

On Tuesday, roughly 21 hours after the clip took off, Vieth walked it back, posting a lengthier statement addressing both the caption and the exchange itself.

“Captioning Manning’s response with ‘gold’ trivialized an AI video depicting violence against a colleague, and that is a mistake I deeply regret,” he wrote.

He explained that his original question had been about the harmless celebration edits from Saturday’s win, not the Sarkisian one, and that he hadn’t actually seen the video Manning was referencing before he hit publish.

“I hadn’t seen the video he was referring to, so in the fast-paced setting of a press conference, I acted far too fast in hitting send on a tweet that I regret,” Vieth wrote. “That’s not an excuse.”

He also singled out Holly Rowe, saying he’d long admired the “hard work, time, and dedication” she’s put into becoming one of the best reporters working today, and that he never meant to disrespect that or “spread hatred toward anyone.”

“But intent isn’t the same as impact, and I own that,” Vieth continued. “I sincerely apologize for how I chose to present the tweet, and I’ll be more careful going forward, especially when it comes to AI-generated content and how quickly I hit send.”

You can read Vieth’s full apology below.

Yesterday, I published a tweet of Arch Manning responding to a question of mine, where he mentioned seeing an AI video of Steve Sarkisian slapping Holly Rowe.

I captioned his response as “gold.”

I realized quickly that I had made a mistake and was far too hasty in publishing the video without further context and with an inappropriate caption.

For that, I am deeply sorry.

I originally asked Manning if he had seen any of the TikTok creator edits from the weekend, ones where his celebration is shown over music and fans had taken their own creative spin on a massive win. I hadn’t seen the video he was referring to, so in the fast-paced setting of a press conference, I acted far too fast in hitting send on a tweet that I regret.

That’s not an excuse. Captioning Manning’s response with “gold” trivialized an AI video depicting violence against a colleague, and that is a mistake I deeply regret.

As a young journalist just getting started in this industry, I deeply admire the hard work, time, and dedication Holly Rowe has put in to become one of the best reporters working today. I never meant to disrespect her work, vilify Manning, or spread hatred toward anyone, but intent isn’t the same as impact, and I own that.

I sincerely apologize for how I chose to present the tweet, and I’ll be more careful going forward, especially when it comes to AI-generated content and how quickly I hit send.

For what it’s worth, Vieth’s apology never actually explains what he found “gold” about the moment in the first place. Vieth spends the entire statement explaining the mechanics of how the tweet happened — the original question, the fast pace of a press conference, hitting send too quickly — but never actually grapples with the word he chose.