Bear Down Wildcats

Apparently this happened at a preseason big donor event called Salute to Troy. He was escorted off the stage because he was pretty drunk.



@Lyssbliss21: The awkward moment when Sark is too drunk to do his final speech... #SalutetoTroy2015 ✌

@FightOnRob: Coach Sark just said Arizona St, Notre Dame, and Oregon suck!

@HighwayWitch: @uscpsycho ...you missed it...Sark is wasted!

@katietsully: Drunk sark just told my dad a joke about a dildo so basically goodbye world I can't handle life RN I quit what did I do to deserve this



@uscpsycho: So I hear Sark had a few too many shots of @fireballwhisky before taking the stage at Salute to Troy. #USC

@HighwayWitch: @uscpsycho ...you missed it...Sark is wasted!

@rosiita: "Get ready to fight the fuck on!!!" - ✌ coach sark #FightOn


@_GetBackCoach_: Shout out to Coach Sarkisian !! He was toooo turnt at Salute to troy! #PulledOffTheStage

@notUSCCoachSark: @_GetBackCoach_ Yo! I'm just hitting that Henny! Now where my bitches at?!?!

@FB5YS: @UCLAFAN2727 Sark got drunk at an SC function. Pat Haden had to yank him off stage cause he was too #TurnUpSC LMAO!



I know he just split with his wife and there were some rumors of him chasing women while up at UW. Classic alcoholism behavior at this point and I hope he can get his personal life cleaned up. I have a few relatives who are bitter and alone because alcohol just wrecked their life.

Yeesh, that's poor PR. I also didn't know about his marital problems.

But ASU does suck, so he's not entirely wrong.

It's the 4th quarter of a tied game between two equally matched teams. One team is coached by sober Sark, the other drunk Sark. Which team wins?

FightWildcatsFight wrote:It's the 4th quarter of a tied game between two equally matched teams. One team is coached by sober Sark, the other drunk Sark. Which team wins?

Depends...

Which team is going for its 7th and final win of the season?

From SB Nation:

We only have some tidbits of his antics via Twitter, but here are the key points that we can focus on.

Sarkisian was definitely drunk at the event and slurring his words during the speech. That's been confirmed by multiple sources at the party.

Sarkisian dropped an F-Bomb while introducing his team to the donors.

Sarkisian could not complete his speech and was pulled off stage by athletic director Pat Haden and former Trojan legend John McKay.

What is the best time to send your coach to rehab during the football season?

This is the only story I could find on the event. I wonder if beat writers were even present.

Since everyone has smart phones now where is the video?

Here are USC head coach Steve Sarkisian and athletic director Pat Haden on Saturday night's Salute to Troy event:

Sarkisian: "I sincerely apologize to my players and staff and to our fans for my behavior and my inappropriate language at our kickoff event Saturday night. I have a responsibility to all of them and I let them down. Pat Haden talked to me after the event about my actions and I assured him this will not happen again."

Haden: "I met with Coach Sarkisian and I expressed my disappointment in the way he represented himself and the University at our Salute To Troy event. While the details of our conversation will remain between us, I am confident he heard my message loud and clear."

Well, now Sark has to get USC to meet expectations this season. Could you imagine the fans reaction if USC fell to 4 or 5th in the Pac-12 south after that display.

Like already mentioned above, USC could go winless this year and I'd still be a huge fan after the ASU suck comment.

What a drunk wreck.

If he's that bad at a formal SC event, I wanna know what when on when he took his whole team to watch Straight Out Of Compton.

Sua Cravens said that Sark lost the team

Also rumors that Sark was drinking in the locker rooms after games

You think Haden would have learned from KO's alcohol issues.

MrBug708 wrote:Sua Cravens said that Sark lost the team

Also rumors that Sark was drinking in the locker rooms after games

And have you heard the similar after-the-fact rumors trickling out of Washington?

Let's face it: Rumors + Sark = Happened

I say this hoping Sark gets help or treatment if he is suffering from addiction...but damn I do enjoy the constantly hilarity coming from Troy and Mr. Haden the last 5 years or so.

I miss the days when head football coaches were expected to be drunk and inappropriate.

Weird that this is a brand new rule. Were they doing shots of Fireball after games before?

How can they even allow that before Sark? I imagine probably half the team is 18-20 and therefore underage.

I work at a university (although state) as many know and the rules for alcohol are extremely strict. Only in designated areas at designated times with a trained host.

http://www.lacoliseum.com/index.php/building-policies/

BUILDING POLICIES
ALCOHOL POLICIES

Alcohol is prohibited inside the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and Sports Arena unless approved by Facility Management.

I feel like I'm stealing gumby's thunder here, but let the list begin...

"7-and-7 Win Sark"
"Cutty Sark"

Those are the easy kills. Others out there I'm sure...

hahahahaha cutty sark is gold

On the ASSU theme you have the horney toad named after the head coaches son who was banging the female athletes at ASSU.

Sark and Traveler walk into a bar.

The bartender says, "Why the long face?"

Traveler says, "jeez, like I've never heard that one before."

The bartender says, "I was talking to your drunken underachieving friend there."

Pop McKale wrote:I feel like I'm stealing gumby's thunder here, but let the list begin...

"7-and-7 Win Sark"
"Cutty Sark"

Those are the easy kills. Others out there I'm sure...

Sark Tanked

Going to treatment even though he doesn't think he has an alcohol problem.


http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/college- ... medication

Not even getting to the first step is not a good sign.

"No, I don't believe so, but through [athletic director Pat Haden] and through the university, I'm going to find that out. I'm going to go to treatment.

Sage&Silver wrote:

Pop McKale wrote:I feel like I'm stealing gumby's thunder here, but let the list begin...

"7-and-7 Win Sark"
"Cutty Sark"

Those are the easy kills. Others out there I'm sure...

Sark Tanked

When does USC officially Jump the Sark?

Merkin wrote:Going to treatment even though he doesn't think he has an alcohol problem.


http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/college- ... medication

Not even getting to the first step is not a good sign.

"No, I don't believe so, but through [athletic director Pat Haden] and through the university, I'm going to find that out. I'm going to go to treatment.

Oh my god that is pure gold.

Did he call Haden a "narc" on his way out the door?

Any rumors on what meds Sark is referring to when he's blaming mixing meds and booze?

He declined to say what the medication was. Not sure what is true here, but the "I wasn't really drunk, it was because I was on medication" is a very common public relations ploy.

My goodness, can you even imagine what a slobbering, babbling loser like Sark is and how USC gets a pass on everything including bad coaches. This excuse for a irresponsible coach will all be excused away.

Even a blithering ungrateful idiot like Steve Sarkisian doesn't understand how lucky he is to be at a school like USC and the money power they harness to save his sorry ass.

Could you even imagine the death spiral and lost recruits that a coach like Sark, doing what he did would do to a school like the UofA. It would take years to recover from something so catastrophic.

Thank god for hiring professionals like Greg Byrne. We are so lucky to have an administrator like him.

CatsbyAZ wrote:Any rumors on what meds Sark is referring to when he's blaming mixing meds and booze?

Since he drinks Fireball, I'm guessing his "medication" was Jager

So Sark is also claiming he was "dealt a bad hand". Must be terrible to be within one game of being fired from Washington and getting handed 4 million dollars from USC.

There is no doubt in my mind.........USC is going to be a train wreck under his leadership.

I couldn't be happier! RR is going to own this clown!

MrBug708 wrote:

CatsbyAZ wrote:Any rumors on what meds Sark is referring to when he's blaming mixing meds and booze?

Since he drinks Fireball, I'm guessing his "medication" was Jager

I heard he also likes to get amped up before games with nickelback.

ANGCatFan wrote:He declined to say what the medication was. Not sure what is true here, but the "I wasn't really drunk, it was because I was on medication" is a very common public relations ploy.

I don't understand how admitting to mixing meds helps. Especially PR-wise.

Mixing meds with alcohol is a type of prescription abuse.

What Sark & Haden could've let continue as an "alcohol incident" story now stacks a "pill abuse" story into an already irresponsible situation, which is worse, all because of Sark's additional unnecessary disclosure.

This is worse by the day.

CatsbyAZ wrote:

ANGCatFan wrote:He declined to say what the medication was. Not sure what is true here, but the "I wasn't really drunk, it was because I was on medication" is a very common public relations ploy.

I don't understand how admitting to mixing meds helps. Especially PR-wise.

Mixing meds with alcohol is a type of prescription abuse.

What Sark & Haden could've let continue as an "alcohol incident" story now stacks a "pill abuse" story into an already irresponsible situation, which is worse, all because of Sark's additional unnecessary disclosure.

This is worse by the day.

That was my exact thought. What kind of idiot is on medication and taking shots of Fireball? Not anyone I'd want in charge of my kid's health, safety, and future career. Should've chalked it up to one night of bad choices and left it at that.

Yet nearly every sec can on the cfb reddit has no idea what the big deal is and can't understand why anyone would be bothered by this story. They actively encourage their coaches to drink on the job.

Chicat wrote:

CatsbyAZ wrote:

ANGCatFan wrote:He declined to say what the medication was. Not sure what is true here, but the "I wasn't really drunk, it was because I was on medication" is a very common public relations ploy.

I don't understand how admitting to mixing meds helps. Especially PR-wise.

Mixing meds with alcohol is a type of prescription abuse.

What Sark & Haden could've let continue as an "alcohol incident" story now stacks a "pill abuse" story into an already irresponsible situation, which is worse, all because of Sark's additional unnecessary disclosure.

This is worse by the day.

That was my exact thought. What kind of idiot is on medication and taking shots of Fireball? Not anyone I'd want in charge of my kid's health, safety, and future career. Should've chalked it up to one night of bad choices and left it at that.

The fact is that any medication that would so drastically compound the effects of alcohol would come with strong cautions against using alcohol...

... and, its highly unlikely that the potentiating effects to the level of behavior observed occurred with one or two drinks.

The medication excuse is a total smokescreen, and while it will be used to obscure media coverage, any minimally competent clinical assessment (which he is supposedly agreeing to undergo) will reveal serious sunstance abuse....

Is there proof that Sark has been drinking during or before practice and games before?

I would love for USC to be awful this year but Inreally think this is being blown out of proportion. Well at least the initial part of it. The dude is going through a divorce so I see why he is dealing with issues and could have turned to alcohol. No excuses for driving though if he did. Hopefully he gets better emotionally.

As for the PR aspect since by USC and Sark, that is not a good situation. Just own it and move on. "I was drunk and that was unacceptable. I am dealing with a difficult time personally but I cannot let that impact USC and my job. It won't again and I am seeking help." He says that we all would have moved on to the next dentist story or what kim kardashian is doing to one up her sister now.

That's assuming that anyone in the public would accept that this was some kind of anomaly out of a USC coach, at least in the Pat Haden era.

Considering the level of derp Sark had to meet set by predecessor Lane Kiffin, there's nothing about this that is blown out of proportion. USC is its own problem and isn't really convincing anyone it's anything but.

CatsbyAZ wrote:

ANGCatFan wrote:He declined to say what the medication was. Not sure what is true here, but the "I wasn't really drunk, it was because I was on medication" is a very common public relations ploy.

I don't understand how admitting to mixing meds helps. Especially PR-wise.

Mixing meds with alcohol is a type of prescription abuse.

What Sark & Haden could've let continue as an "alcohol incident" story now stacks a "pill abuse" story into an already irresponsible situation, which is worse, all because of Sark's additional unnecessary disclosure.

This is worse by the day.

The implication is that I didn't actually over indulge before/during the event. He is trying to infer he was drinking lightly, but the behavior was brought on because of the addition of the medication. It was a one time mistake and won't happen again. He is certainly not required to tell us what medication he is taking, but I tend not to buy this alibi when I hear it unless the person is completely open.

catgrad97 wrote:That's assuming that anyone in the public would accept that this was some kind of anomaly out of a USC coach, at least in the Pat Haden era.

Considering the level of derp Sark had to meet set by predecessor Lane Kiffin, there's nothing about this that is blown out of proportion. USC is its own problem and isn't really convincing anyone it's anything but.

Lane had huge red flags before USC. Sure Pat and USC deserve what they got with Lane but I do not think this is a huge issue yet. Sark seemed like a solid guy but just an slightly above average if not average coach before this. Again never any excuse for drinking and driving but if a dude is going through a divorce I get him having a rough patch and do not think that is an negative to USC just yet.

PHXCATS wrote:Is there proof that Sark has been drinking during or before practice and games before?

I would love for USC to be awful this year but Inreally think this is being blown out of proportion. Well at least the initial part of it. The dude is going through a divorce so I see why he is dealing with issues and could have turned to alcohol. No excuses for driving though if he did. Hopefully he gets better emotionally.

As for the PR aspect since by USC and Sark, that is not a good situation. Just own it and move on. "I was drunk and that was unacceptable. I am dealing with a difficult time personally but I cannot let that impact USC and my job. It won't again and I am seeking help." He says that we all would have moved on to the next dentist story or what kim kardashian is doing to one up her sister now.

Drinking alcohol to "deal with issues", while not necessarily in-and-of-itself "alcoholism" (at least on one or two occasions), is, without a doubt an extremely slippery slope to alcohol abuse and dependence.

Make no mistake about that.

Enough with the "divorce" excuse. It was back in March/April when they went to file. The shock period is over. Plus, he was boozing up throughout his Huskie days.

The problem is every medication warns against drinking alcohol. It's a boy who cried wolf thing and everyone knows it is mostly lawyer bullshit.
Nobody is more heavily medicated than Americans, and if everyone took those warnings seriously beer and wine would be novelty items you have to send away for.

Maybe the lesson is don't pound fireball if you're on new medication.

If someone doesn't have the insight not to mix new meds and alcohol, maybe they don't have the capacity to run a multimillion dollar football program. Not that I'm complaining for uofa's sake.

CatsbyAZ wrote:Enough with the "divorce" excuse. It was back in March/April when they went to file. The shock period is over. Plus, he was boozing up throughout his Huskie days.

It also makes sense that drinking may have contributed to why he is divorced if he has been drinking for a while.

Sark plans to give up something else.

According to the USC head coach’s post-practice pronouncement, coordinator “Clay Helton will assume more of the offensive play-calling responsibilities” for the Trojans this season. The athletic department’s official Twitter account writes that “Sarkisian has been developing the plan to cede play-calling duties to Helton since spring football.”

Didn't want to start a new thread for this, but in talking about Sark someone brought up Gary Moeller....so I was googling a bit and what struck me was not the epic nature of his booze-fueled flameout, but instead his salary at the time....$130,000.

Compare/contrast w/ Harbaugh getting $5M. I know it was 20 years ago, but I'd say that's more than keeping pace w/ inflation.

http://community.seattletimes.nwsource. ... ug=2119004
http://articles.latimes.com/1995-05-05/ ... ball-coach

Punishment = nothing

Speaking publicly for the first time since Steve Sarkisian's erratic display at a recent school event, USC Athletic Director Pat Haden said Monday that his decision regarding the Trojans coach was "in the best interest" of the university and its players.

Haden condemned Sarkisian's behavior in a statement but ultimately decided not to suspend him. Sarkisian will coach USC in its season opener Saturday against Arkansas State.

During an appearance on the "Trojans Live" radio show on ESPN Los Angeles 710, Haden said he had "thoughtful conversations" with medical professionals and staff members and that "a lot of careful thought was given" before deciding on a course of action for Sarkisian following the now-infamous incident at the school's annual "Salute to Troy" event on Aug. 22.

http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/college- ... ol-players

SCCats wrote:

Punishment = nothing

Speaking publicly for the first time since Steve Sarkisian's erratic display at a recent school event, USC Athletic Director Pat Haden said Monday that his decision regarding the Trojans coach was "in the best interest" of the university and its players.

Haden condemned Sarkisian's behavior in a statement but ultimately decided not to suspend him. Sarkisian will coach USC in its season opener Saturday against Arkansas State.

During an appearance on the "Trojans Live" radio show on ESPN Los Angeles 710, Haden said he had "thoughtful conversations" with medical professionals and staff members and that "a lot of careful thought was given" before deciding on a course of action for Sarkisian following the now-infamous incident at the school's annual "Salute to Troy" event on Aug. 22.

http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/college- ... ol-players

Exactly. Every codependent needs an enabler. Wonder if Sark called Pat down from his box seats to speak with the medical professionals and staff members? Good luck disciplining the players when their leader gets a free pass. What would it hurt to suspend him against Arkansas State, even if it's purely a PR move?

Go Cats!!