Texas football head coach Steve Sarkisian and ESPN sideline reporter Holly Rowe had an awkward viral moment after the Longhorns pulled off a stunning comeback to beat Ohio State on Saturday night.
As often happens on social media these days, the viral video of Sarkisian blowing off the postgame interview with Rowe on the field was turned into multiple AI-generated videos that depicted something different than what happened in reality.
One of those AI videos unfortunately featured the Texas coach slapping the ESPN reporter, and it was apparently viewed by Longhorns QB Arch Manning sometime between the end of the game and his Monday press conference with reporters.
Manning commented on the AI footage of Sarkisian slapping Rowe after a media member asked the quarterback if he had seen any edits of the moment following the game.
“I saw a AI edit of Sark’s interview,” Manning said, while others in the room laughed, “of him slapping Holly Rowe. … It’s hilarious.”
Manning’s reaction to the video drew some intense backlash on social media.
“I’ll get flack for not being able to take a joke, but it makes me sad that we live in a society where a man slapping a woman is funny,” X user @OldFashionedCFB wrote about the 22-year-old Manning’s reaction. “I was his age once and joked like that too, but I also appreciate being called out my behavior.”
“They’re gonna use every single bit of power that Manning name has to cover how terrible of a look this is for Arch, and it’s not gonna work,” X user @Bam_Adobobayo wrote about the nephew of NFL legends Peyton and Eli Manning. “A 22yr old laughing about a video of a woman being slapped by a man is bad, but the room full of grown men laughing along…big time yikes.”
“I saw the video and didn’t laugh once,” said soccer analyst Taylor Twellman, who once worked at ESPN like Rowe. “And then I just saw this right now and didn’t laugh once.”
The AI video of Sarkisian slapping Rowe referenced by Manning can be seen below.
The real interview exchange between Sarkisian and Rowe after the comeback against Ohio State:
ESPN reportedly had to delay Sarkisian’s postgame interview due to technical issues that had also arisen at halftime when Rowe’s fellow sideline reporter Laura Rutledge tried to interview the coach.
A Texas spokesperson said after the win that the postgame delay contributed to Sarkisian’s decision to abruptly depart during Rowe’s attempt to speak with him on the field, according to The Athletic.
Manning apologized for his reaction to the AI video in a post released on his Instagram account Tuesday afternoon.
“In my press conference yesterday, I made an insensitive comment about an Al video. There is nothing funny about it,” Manning 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 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.”
Texas rose to No. 1 in the AP Top 25 Poll following the victory over Ohio State, which dropped from its previous No. 1 ranking to No. 6.
The stunning comeback came after Texas trailed 23-3 entering the fourth quarter in front of its home crowd.
