Two days ago, USC head coach Steve Sarkisian addressed the media in a much-anticipated press conference regarding his questionable behavior at a USC Kickoff event last weekend, but many were left bewildered. The goal of the press conference was to find clarity in the situation, however, many questions were left unanswered.
The former BYU quarterback answered some of those questions when he sat down with Pac-12 Networks’ Mike Yam, Yogi Roth and Curtis Conway to discuss the incident. With a roster that could potentially contend for a national title, Sarkisian has the tough challenge of seeking help for this issue that arose during the event while handling the endless responsibilities of a collegiate head football coach.
He’s not worried.
“I’m at the greatest university in the world, and I’m fortunate,” Sarkisian said. “We have unbelievable people here in place that can make that happen. I’m fortunate for that.”
Sarkisian went on to say he understands the situation is less than “ideal,” but has been somewhat of a bonding opportunity as the team unity has increased thanks to the incident. Yam mentioned talking to quarterback and Heisman candidate Cody Kessler after the USC practice, who said it was bringing everyone “closer together.”
The head coach is extremely thankful for the forgiving attitudes from the leaders on his team and attributes that to his keeping-it-real mindset.
“I think that comes with who you are day-to-day,” Sarkisian said. “I’ve never tried to be somebody I’m not. I’ve always tried to put my best foot forward. I’ve always tried to give these guys exactly what I feel, and who I am and what I think.”
It remains to be seen whether this newfound camaraderie will lead to success as the Trojans take on Arkansas State to open the season next Saturday.
Twitter: @GriffDoug