That was fast.
Texas quarterback Arch Manning has issued an apology after coming under fire for comments he made on AI video of Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian slapping sideline reporter Holly Rowe.
The entire thing started on Saturday, after Texas scored a massive victory over the Ohio State Buckeyes. The Longhorns were down 23-3 at halftime, but Manning led a comeback for the ages as the Longhorns took the lead for the first time in the game with just 25 seconds left.
Following the 24-23 win over the #1 team in the country, Sarkisian was in no mood to chat with Rowe following the game as he was eager to celebrate with his team, which led to an awkward exchange on the field:
Now, for some context, Rowe’s colleague Laura Rutledge had previously tried to interview Sark at halftime, but technical issues had delayed the interview and the coach ultimately left to talk to his team in the locker room. So this may have been a case of the coach once again thinking that ESPN was having tech issues and not wanting to wait around. Or maybe he had already been waiting and wasn’t willing to hang around any longer to tell Rowe how happy he was about a win. The postgame interviews are kind of pointless anyway, so I don’t think it was as big of a deal as people made it out to be.
But anyway, the moment went viral, with many criticizing Sark (who already has a reputation for being a bit abrasive) for blowing off Rowe. And it also inspired several AI edits of the moment, including one that featured the coach slapping Rowe before running off to celebrate.
Well apparently, Manning particularly enjoyed that one himself, and spoke about it during his press availability yesterday:
“I saw an AI edit of Sark’s interview. Y’all see that one? That’s a good one. Of him slapping Holly Rowe. Yeah, it’s hilarious.”
As you can imagine though, Manning’s comments didn’t go over well, with several female reporters calling out the redshirt junior quarterback for his insensitive comments.
NBC Sports reporter Nicole Auerbach called the comments, as well as the laughter from others, “gross.”
Meanwhile CBS Sports and Apple TV reporter Tricia Whitaker shared more extensive thoughts:
“Imagine Holly Rowe’s face in that despicable AI video was your daughter’s. Your wife’s. Your sister’s. Still funny?
This is gross on so many levels. And no, this isn’t people being “too sensitive” or “easily offended.” Joking about this in a room full of media members and seeing everyone laugh like this? Shame on you.
A woman being hit isn’t a punchline. Tell that to a domestic violence survivor. Sickening. Holly Rowe is a phenomenal reporter who has spent decades earning respect in this industry. Some things just aren’t funny.”
NFL Network analyst Stacey Dale also chimed in to defend Rowe and criticize Manning for laughing about the AI edit:
“Holly is an incredible journalist. If I were in her shoes, I’d cringe. But also, why is this normalized. It’s really not funny. Actually, there is nothing funny here.”
And USA Today WNBA reporter Meghan Hall also chimed in:
Well now, Manning has issued a statement apologizing directly to Rowe.
The quarterback posted a statement to his Instagram story:
“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.
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.”
Neither Rowe, Sarkisian nor the Texas athletic department have addressed the comments.
