Speaking with “Brock and Salk” on Monday, Carroll said that he’s saddened but hopeful for Sarkisian and that he’s reached out to his former protégé. It’s gutting: a native son with five separate stints at USC, a man who succeeded in becoming an amiable anti-Kiffin, now collapsing under the weight of his life-long ambition.
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“It breaks my heart to see how this has gone”, Carroll, now the coach of the Seattle Seahawks, told 710 ESPN Seattle.
June 10, 2010: The NCAA rules that USC showed a lack of institutional control – citing running back Reggie Bush and basketball player O.J. Mayo as having accepted improper gifts and benefits from agents.
On the difference between coaching one game and a half-season: “This is a different time”. “He deserved another chance and that’s what I gave him”.
September 15, 2010: Bush releases a statement that he will return his 2005 Heisman Trophy. He acknowledged the widespread questioning of his leadership, and used it to launch into a five-point defense of his tenure as athletic director, which of course included “successfully navigat[ing]” those NCAA sanctions. UCLA is named the “official”, albeit lame duck South champion. “But right now his No1 priority is getting himself well”.
Sarkisian also appeared to be under the influence at a team function in August. The Sun Devils served USC a 62-41 loss – and the very next day, then-head coach Lane Kiffin was sacked.
Despite all that and the fact that national and local media have called for his removal, Haden will indeed be running the search for the next USC football head coach.
Carroll, under whom Sarkisian worked at USC before he was hired as the head coach at Washington, spoke Monday about his former assistant coach and told 710 ESPN SeattleSarkisian’s situation “breaks my heart”. The story of heroism spreads rapidly, but is scrutinized just as quickly. They are now the only undefeated team left in the Pac-12 Conference. The Trojans are ranked No. 8 in the preseason AP poll.
ESPN quoted team members who said Sarkisian arrived for team meetings Sunday “lit” – in a drunken state – and was not allowed to proceed.
Besieged athletic director Pat Haden, buoyed by a vote of confidence from the school president, will remain in his post and hire the next coach. He said he will not discuss candidates or a timetable for replacing Sarkisian on a full-time basis out of respect to his “very capable” coaching staff. I really do. Steve Sarkisian is a good person…
The coach has already apologized for the matter explaining that he mixes alcohol with his medication.
Those days may have passed as the Trojans now sit near the bottom of the conference standings with a less than stellar record of 3-2, including beginning conference play 1-2.
“One of the things I learned from Coach O (Orgeron) is how you bring everybody together”, Helton said.
USC fired embattled head coach Steve Sarkisian so get to know interim head coach Clay Helton and if he can rally the Trojans like Ed Orgeron did in 2013.
One source close to the Huskies program said UW administrators were aware of Sarkisian’s social drinking, but they didn’t believe it was an issue that affected his job performance.
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Haden, in his own statement at the time, said he was confident Sarkisian had received his message “loud and clear”.
