Arch Manning has been at the center of a firestorm after his insensitive comments about ESPN reporter Holly Rowe and a gross AI video. But as Linda Cohn points out, it never would have happened if his head coach, Steve Sarkisian, had acted more professionally.
Manning laughed about an AI video he saw in which Sarkisian slapped Rowe during their postgame interaction after the Longhorns’ win over the Ohio State Buckeyes last Saturday. The whole thing went viral when Sarkisian snubbed Rowe, flashing only a “hook ’em” sign and refusing to do an interview. Sarkisian was apparently frustrated with the ESPN technical difficulties that prevented the halftime interview and inconvenienced him.
But while most of the focus has shifted to Arch Manning, his responsibility as a star athlete, and his apology to Holly Rowe, Sarkisian’s original action has gotten lost in the shuffle.
As former SportsCenter anchor Linda Cohn says on her podcast, it never would have been a story if Sarkisian hadn’t done the interview in the first place.
Who’s to blame for this Arch Manning Mess?
It isn’t Arch.
Check out full video on The Linda Cohn Show on @YouTube pic.twitter.com/sGDmkjss3N
— Linda Cohn (@lindacohn) September 17, 2026
“Here’s the irony I just can’t get past: the 22-year-old quarterback Arch Manning has now publicly acknowledged his mistake; the reporter who posted the exchange has acknowledged his mistake; maybe the head coach should acknowledge his part in the original moment too,” Cohn said.
“When you’re Steve Sarkisian, you’re not just coaching football, no, you’re setting an example for all those young men watching you, including Arch Manning. And if you are going to demand patience, demand accountability, and maturity from your players, you have to show those things yourself, especially when you’re frustrated,” she added.
“Arch Manning apologized, and he should have, but maybe the biggest lesson in this entire ridiculous circus isn’t for the 22-year-old Arch Manning. It’s for all the adults in the room. For Arch, he won’t and shouldn’t be defined by this. But I can’t help but think he never would have been in this position if his head coach just did the right thing, not run off like someone was chasing him and run away from your responsibility, but instead say, ‘Hey, Holly, I’m sorry about your technical issues that you’re going through. I can’t wait. I want to really go celebrate with my team, and then walk away.”
Sarkisian, who finally apologized Thursday, let this fester longer than it needed to. He watched Manning apologize first, alone, for a moment his own coach had actually caused, while saying nothing himself about the interview that started it all. It took days for the story to grow and criticism like Cohn’s to mount before Sarkisian finally addressed it, and even then it looked like something Texas nudged him toward rather than something he volunteered. This could’ve been avoided if he’d said what he eventually said days earlier, while the story was still fresh, instead of leaving his own quarterback to answer for it first.
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