Sarkisian: Mishandled ESPN interview, knows Manning owns his mistake

Texas coach Steve Sarkisian says he should have better handled his postgame interview with ESPN reporter Holly Rowe after the win over Ohio State and acknowledged how the testy exchange led to the creation of fake videos and an apology from star quarterback Arch Manning.

"Obviously we have a ton of respect for ESPN and for Holly," Sarkisian said Thursday. "We could have handled that situation better with a little bit more patience in the moment. But that obviously led to the situation with Arch."

Sarkisian said he should have been more patient and spoken with Rowe. In his weekly conference call with media, Sarkisian noted that his halftime and postgame interviews with ESPN were delayed and that he had wanted to join his team's celebration after the victory.

On Monday, Manning joked publicly about an AI-generated video that showed Sarkisian slapping Rowe, calling it "hilarious." Manning apologized on social media Tuesday for his remarks and to Rowe specifically.

"It's easy to say I didn't mean it, but I know my words and actions were hurtful to a lot of people," Manning wrote. "I do not take that lightly and am deeply sorry for that."

Rowe posted on social media later Tuesday that she and Manning had discussed his comment and that she accepted his apology.

"In no way do we condone domestic violence or violence against women," Sarkisian said Thursday, adding that he believed Manning did not intend anything malicious when he joked about the fake video. "At his core, he knows what he believes in and what he stands for."

Manning's public misstep drew quick and widespread public criticism directed at one of college football's most prominent players. Some of the criticism of Manning has blamed Sarkisian for not taking a moment to conduct the interview.

"If hindsight's 20/20, if I could do it all over again, I would have exuded more patience in that moment and sat through and waited for the interview with Holly," Sarkisian told reporters, adding that he has a "great relationship" with Rowe.