It really strains logic to hear some people who were friends with Steve Sarkisian (former players, former coaches) now saying they had no idea about his drinking problem. I am not a social friend of Sarkisian. And I knew he was drinking all over town (and in the locker room). Everyone who worked at Washington knew. And a lot of people at USC saw or heard stories about him drinking.
This is not to blame his friends. It’s a serious issue for Sarkisian to deal with. But don’t act innocent today. At least be honest.
Maybe the friends have drinking problems as well. Most addicts think they are fine, they usually surround themselves with the same type of people. And what some people view as a problem, other’s view as nothing more than a guy having a few drinks.
This information on Steve Sarkisian was all over the internet prior to him coming to USC. But it never came from reliable sources, but where there is smoke there is fire . And I think it’s comical when I hear Pat Haden say Sarkisians background was checked out by a coaching search firm, if that’s true, the University should demand to have their $500,000 plus fee returned.
I was told Korn Ferry handled the search. Maybe that’s a lie too, but most schools hire a search form to handle these situations, just like Pat said USC did. He must have just made this all up and created a fictional search firm.
I agree. The Korn Ferry fee should be completely refunded. Lots of USC people work there I am told.
You’re probably right in terms of the search firm. Entertainment budgets are rife with spending on alcohol. Let’s not get to testy about this now. Let’s move on and find a great new head coach.
freddie….you are spot on about the fee……Someone posted the fee was in the $50,000 range and that’s laughable….Searches on this level are ALWAYS in the six figures. Often search firms work is based on a percentage of the candidates earnings…A search firm might get $50,000 in fees if they were hiring a run of the mill associate a.d…..
fiueight uuhhhnnn
Alcoholics go to great lengths go hide their addiction and often surround themselves with enablers or those who are also problem drinkers. I find it so curious so many at Washington now say they knew of his so-called outrageous drunken behavior while the Husky coach. Yet when he bolted UW, I never read even one report, not one, on the entire Internet, from UW fans that Sark was even a big drinker. Not one. Now everyone says they knew he had a big problem.
They are covering their own rear ends just like USC is doing now. If USC really cared like PH and MN claim, they would have asked for a leave of absence after Salute to Troy in the interest of the players first. They didn’t and look how it blew up in their face. Totally pathetic.
I was at the UCLA Washington game in 2013 where the bruins blasted the huskies. After the game we were staying at a hotel in Pasadena. There were many ex Huskies players from the old Don James era there who were relating several stories of Sark on his drinking while at UW. Some even on recruiting trips with his staff at All American high school games, along with Football alumni functions prior to spring games.his reputation obviously was out there based on the stories like this and the ones appeared in LA times.
It’s just very strange none of this made the Internet, the largest instant mass media trash bin ever concocted. Try to find a story or even a post or remark about Sark’s drinking before Tribute To Troy and you won’t. Plenty about mediocre coaching, but that’s it. Everyone’s a big authority now all of the sudden. Prior to TTT, not a peep about the drinking.
Couldn’t agree more. The stuff we’re hearing now is after the fact piling on. All we heard before from the Washington crowd was that Sark couldn’t win the big game, couldn’t come up with two good coaching performances in a row, couldn’t get past the 7 win hump, etc., etc. The knock was always “seven win Sark”, never “seven scotch Sark.”
Think Bill Cosby. One had the guts to call him out and that gave the many others the courage to do so. It’s not that hard a concept to grasp.
Typical Troll intellect – comparing women afraid of hurting their lives publicly vs anonymous Internet posters talking damaging dirt about a coach they dislike. Think mentally deficient.
Its entirely possible that people didn’t know the extent of the problem (ie his inability to stop). Alcoholics are very adept at hiding their problem in this regard. Friends like to see the best in each other and this is just maybe what they wanted to remember. Its not a cover up. The blame is that the administration knew (or should have known) the warning signs were there, including Salute to Troy and did nothing. It there job to be impartial and discerning in these matters. To say they didn’t, is a flat out lie or incompetence. Neither situation is good.
I coached baseball with a friend of 10 years at a top OC High School and didn’t realize until 3/4 through the season he was coming to practices and games drunk. Same guy I would go out with occasionally and have a few beers. He had been practicing being drunk for many years and I never thought anybody would need to drink to make it through a practice or game.
People are always criticizing Mr. Wolf BUT he’s the one who gets it. Some USC folks always stick their heads in the ground and don’t want to see reality. This blind support for haden and nikias makes me sick. haden has screwed up royally since he’s been at SC and it’s obvious . No way in hell he should be anywhere near the search for a new coach. He really should just retire now and go raise money for those coliseum seat licenses we may be paying for.
He wore a purple sweater to the Washington game
Mique Juarez and Velus Jones have decommited. I don’t blame them at all. Juarez was 50/50 with us and Jones being from Alabama this was inevitable since we were gonna most likely bump him. This is just the first of potentially many aftershocks.
My sources say that Helton will beat ND and Ucla, win the south, get to the rose bowl, then win the job 🙂
Unfortunately, he might win both of those and probably still wont get the job.
Anythings possible. If the defense steps it up we should be fine
I couldn’t agree with you more, and I never had problem with Wolf’s reporting. But some people have problems digesting the truth, and reality. But I knew Steve Sarkisians darkness , would eventually come to light .
Had a friend just email me Nikias’s statement of support for haden. He was delighted and has been telling me haden wouldn’t be going anywhere anytime soon because he’s Nikias’ boy. I’m still crying as that means many more years of embarrassment before USC can return to Glory. #HadenMustGo This is far worse than sanctions. the ncaa must be full of glee.
Good thing Pat knew Sarkisian well for so many years. How did that work out?
I think you’re looking for the expression: “It strains credulity”. Make sure to clean that up before you drop it in the papers.
I do not buy Pat Haden’s statement that he hired a “national search firm” and carried out due diligence and that no one mentioned Steve Sarkisian’s heavy drinking. Now, all of a sudden everyone and their brother has a story about Steve’s drinking episodes.
President Max Nikias needs to form an independent committee of alums and former USC football greats such as Marcus Allen, Willie McGinest, Ronnie Lott, Ron Yary, Tony Boselli, and others to conduct the search for a new head coach. The Board of Trustees or Max NIkias can make the choice. No way that Pat Haden can carry out that job. He failed miserably once and now is only interested in not being fired.
“I am not a social friend of Sarkisian.” Um, Scott: Do you have ANY social friends?
If you count Bucket, then it would be eight (faux) friends.
Sometimes you need to get some blood in from outside any organization as those inside their own dont see the weaknesses that exist, if you get my drift.
Stop the blame game.
There would be many an empty sideline if fidelity or domestic tranquility were coaching requirements. Cue Urban, Jimbo,
Carroll et al. Ban drinking altogether and many many more
sidelines would be empty.
How was anyone at USC supposed to know that Sark would
cross all lines and bounds of propriety by being drunk for
practice and games ?
Big picture: Hire a proven winner and let him coach.
Immediate focus: Beat Notre Dame
If you knew he was drinking all over town Scott.. Why didnt you report anything?
Scott has done a good job reporting this. Personal business is that but when it impact his job performance, its fair game.
Wolf is one of the few that questioned the competency of Kiffer and Snark … guess he was right
he did.
EXACTLY. Wolfie loves to report things after the fact stating he knew about them. He didn’t know anything about this, or he would have reported more on it. How does this hack stay employed?
Wolf ANY or ALL alcoholics or people with drug problems aren’t going to admit they have a problem until things get out of hand. Sarks situation got out of hand and a least he told Pat that he wasn’t healthy. Yes he told him at a time when we didn’t need anymore bad news, but STILL TOLD HIM. It’s too late for his job to continue at USC but he’s hitting the concrete hard and needs help. I for one will always have place in my heart for Sark. He was a likable guy and I can relate to him since my dad was a HEAVY drinker, only a doctor telling him he was gonna die forced him to stop drinking, he’s 71 years old and has been sober for 7 years. That goes to show that most Alcoholics feel they can manage drinking and feel it’s not as big a problem then it really is. So it’s tough. Until you (Wolf or any judges) have experienced this part of life than you will never understand. And if you have you should be more supportive to the matter. I hope Sark gets better for his children and his wife/ex-wife. He’s made some bad choices that have led him down this path, but he still has his family and friends and even USC fans still pushing for him to pull himself together.
blab, blab, blab……why don’t you discuss this with your priest…….you over do it on a daily basis….but this time….you’ve gone overboard…….This is supposed to be about South Central…….take your conversation to the dinner table at thanksgiving….
weh weh weh weh………..
Hey, don’t get me wrong, I think Pat’s doing a hell of a job. How should he know Sark drank too much? He only knew him for what, 15-20 years?
Sure that Salute to Troy thing may have been a clue but he got Sark into that neat double secret treatment program.
By the way, Pat, you may want to ask for your money back there and from that “National Search Firm”
Wolfie, it’s the Jock Mentality.
No one had an inkling that Ray Rice was a violent thug.
No one had an inkling that Ray McDonald liked to beat women.
No one had an inkling about Greg Hardy, or Bobby Petrino . . .
No jocks know anything.
Scott may not be as right as some may think…will remain a mystery…but I can speak about my personal experience on the issue of knowing or not knowing about a great friend of mine since the 5th grade….he passed what I call recently to my mind of alcoholism…he was in his late 40’s….we played once upon a time side by side……I did not know the extent of things…
Scott,
If you knew, why didn’t you report it? You are a reporter. You could have said ‘Unnamed sources saw Sark at so-and-so.”
JC Scott! You’re criricizing everyone else for not publicizing this but acting like you were in the know. Either you knew and didn’t say anything or you were clueless. Pick a side.
Haden is slowly but surely in line to consume the entire university. Were Nikias to step down don’t be amazed were Haden to put himself up for the job. He would then have squared the circle and proceed to re-design USC into his image.
It’s even more of a narcotic of control than being a NFL, MLB, NHL or NBA owner.
University presidents, chancellors, etc. are the closest the USA has to faux royalty that and ambassadorships.
Rhodes Scholar (his) former Notre Dame play-by-play for over 10 years, a vote on the national committee to select the four finalists for the BCS CG.
He’s now planning on his imprimatur of permanent changes to the LA Memorial Coliseum – what next? A knighthood from the Vatican? Man of the Year from Time magazine? Run for governor?
Haden’s his buddy