Arch Manning apologizes for ‘insensitive’ joke about AI video of ESPN’s Holly Rowe

Texas’s star quarterback, Arch Manning, has apologized after joking about an AI-generated video that depicted Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian slapping ESPN college football reporter Holly Rowe after last Saturday’s game.

Manning had been asked at a press conference on Monday about the social media reaction to the Longhorns’ 24-23 upset win over No 1 Ohio State. Rowe had attempted to ask Sarkisian a question for the standard postgame interview, but the coach interrupted her and yelled a pair of Texas slogans before walking off.

“I’ve seen a few AI edits, that’s about it. I saw an AI edit of Sark’s interview,” Manning said on Monday. “Y’all seen that one? That’s a good one. Of him slapping Holly Rowe. It’s hilarious.”

His comments were met with laughter in the room. On Tuesday, Manning apologized with a statement on his Instagram story, calling his words and actions “hurtful to a lot of people”.

“In my press conference yesterday, I made an insensitive comment about an AI video. There is nothing funny about it,” he wrote. “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 it.

“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 posted a response on Instagram later Tuesday, saying: “Thank you Arch. I appreciate our conversation about this – which will remain private. Apology accepted. We move forward with respect and kindness for one another.”

Evan Vieth, the reporter who asked the question in the press conference, apologized on Tuesday for describing Manning’s reaction as “gold” in a post that has more than 27m views on X.

“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,” Vieth wrote.

Rowe has spent more than two decades as a sideline reporter for ESPN’s college football and college basketball coverage. She has won a Sports Emmy for her reporting and was honored by the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2023 with its Curt Gowdy Electronic Media Award.

Earlier in Saturday’s game, Sarkisian had appeared to avoid talking to ESPN reporter Laura Rutledge for the usual half-time interview. Rutledge later said on the broadcast that ESPN had technical issues. When Rowe found Sarkisian after the game and attempted to ask a question, he screamed, “Let’s go, Texas fight! Let’s go, Texas fight!” before adding “Hook ’Em!” and walking off. A Texas spokesperson said ESPN’s technical difficulties played a role in Sarkisian’s response.

Manning, the nephew of former NFL stars Peyton and Eli, is in his fourth season at Texas. The Longhorns came back from a 20-point deficit to beat the Buckeyes on Saturday and are the No 1 team in the country entering the third week of the season.