Portrait of Ongoing Alcohol Abuse coming to the Forefront with USC HC Steve Sarkisian
Written by Ryan Wright
Twitter: @HogManInLA
A day after USC Athletic Director Pat Haden placed head football coach Steve Sarkisian on an indefinite leave of absence, a bigger picture of ongoing alcohol abuse is now being painted about the once highly regarded coach. Reports indicated on Sunday that Sarkisian showed up for a team meeting Sunday morning at 11 a.m. under the influence but did not continue on to the 12:30 team practice.
Initial reports had Sarkisian as a no-show for the practice despite the fact that he was on campus. Haden was reportedly called over to the football facilities around 1 p.m. to address Sarkisian’s situation later telling the media, “It was very clear to me that he is not healthy. I asked him to take an indefinite leave of absence.”
The possible troubles with alcohol was first brought to the public’s attention, at least in Los Angeles, on Aug. 22 during a Salute to Troy event. During the event he spoke to boosters on stage slurring his words and used profanity. Haden addressed the problem with his coach then with Sarkisian issuing an apology via USC’s athletic department that read in-part, “This will not happen again.” Sarkisian later blamed his slurred words and use of bad language on mixing alcohol with medication.
The Los Angeles Times released an article early Monday morning titled “Documents, former players point to Steve Sarkisian’s alcohol use at Washington.” Within the piece, using documents obtained via the Freedom of Information Act, a list of travel dates across the U.S. for recruiting purposes and/or for games and coaches’ meetings highlights a lot of heavy drinking while Sarkisian was with the Washington Huskies. Former Washington players have gone on record, albeit anonymously, giving LA Times reporters Nathan Fenno and Lindsey Thiry the impression that Sarkisian has had a history of showing up “smelling like booze and [with] eyes all red, like he’s been on a bender.”
In a similar incident like at the Salute to Troy, while with the Huskies, Sarkisian jumped up on a bar top in the Duchess Tavern in 2012 addressing former players and alumni in 2012 reportedly under the influence.
The LA Times article goes into detail giving dates and various amounts of alcohol purchased from expense reports outlining bar tabs from 800 pages of documents over the years. Some of the bar tabs could very easily be explained by cost but not by purpose of travel. For example, a one-night trip to Long Beach to visit a recruit ended with a $125.01 bar tab. Did he buy drinks for others? Did he leave a big tip or was the $125 all spent on his consumption? Chances are Sarkisian is staying at high-end hotels drinking high-end alcohol resulting in higher costs. One could argue the point either way without knowledge of being present. Regardless, alcohol is seemingly ever present with Sarkisian.
The most damaging accusations are reports Sarkisian could have been under the influence during a game. Per the LA Times article, “Statements by others close to the Trojans football program [said] that he seemed unstable during a recent game at Arizona State. Former Washington players indicated that their coach attended team meetings smelling of booze and kept Coors Light in his office for regular use.
The fallout of Sarkisian’s actions on Sunday are left to be determined. Chances are USC has little choice but to part ways with their head coach giving the dangers he could be putting himself, the staff, and more importantly the players in while at practice and potentially during games if he cannot win his personal battle with alcohol. Public perception goes a long way and his actions have already been damaging to the program leading to the understanding of why Haden could dismiss his talented coach.
Photo credit: reignoftroy.com; USC head coach Steve Sarkisian.