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In a story that had been developing for a long while now, Steve Sarkisian reached the end of his road as the head man at USC. His job had been in question since a preseason booster event in which he showed up intoxicated and made a fool of himself. Many were calling for his job after embarrassing the university in such a way, but those calls were unanswered. He was not even placed on a one game suspension, instead having to do up-downs for the team. Many questioned the lack of punishment, but on the surface it was not a long-term problem. To the general public, this was an isolated incident and a case of a guy making a stupid mistake, but still one he and the team could move on from and forget.
Sarkisian, however, did himself no favors. In a press conference, he admitted to mixing alcohol and medication, and that he had a problem that he would seek help for. This was no longer a sole faux pas, but instead a serious issue. How could someone run a premier college football program while suffering from alcoholism? The answer would come just over a month later.
Of course, as is usually the case, winning fixes everything. A 3-1 start, while not ideal, was still a step in the right direction. The sole loss came to Stanford, a team that has always given the Trojans trouble and whose only loss came to a solid Northwestern team back in week one.
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It was the Thursday night loss to Washington that got the snowball rolling. As soon as the glow of early success faded away and the holes were exposed, Sarkisian was no longer protected.
On Sunday, he was asked to take a leave of absence after supposedly arriving at the facilities that morning while drunk. Shortly after, the Trojans had already lost a top LB recruit in Daelin Hayes, and more were sure to follow.
The very next day, USC Athletics Director Pat Haden officially fired Sarkisian.
In the days following that Sunday morning incident, the floodgates opened. After being kept quiet for years, even decades, stories of Sarkisian’s past came forth. As recently as the Arizona State game just two short weeks ago, players and coaches could allegedly smell alcohol on his breath while on the sideline. This was apparently not the only time something like this took place.
Throughout his tenure at Washington, his players stated that they could detect the smell on him at several practices. Fellow former coaches and teammates came forward and stated that this problem dated back to the 80’s and 90’s, even going back to his playing days.
This, however, is not a case to pile on. Sarkisian has a disease, and those around him did absolutely nothing to help him. Those who called him teammates and colleagues ignored his problem and allowed it to get worse and worse. It is not as if this is something that he chose, there is culpability to be shared by those around him who failed him. As many people as have come forth and spoke of their prior knowledge of Sark’s problem, none of them actually did anything about this issue.
Despite that, the firing was neccesary. From a football perspective, his teams were obviously not living up to their potential. Although down scholarships due to previous NCAA violations, USC is still a program that has massive amounts of talent. This team lacks an identity, both offensively and defensively. The players are there, with guys like Cody Kessler, A’doree Jackson, and Su’a Cravens, but the coaching and structure was non-existent.
On a personal level, this is a chance for Sarkisian to get his life back on track. USC was his dream job, and he reportedly sobbed when he learned of his firing. Perhaps this is the sort of wake-up call that will inspire him to fight his addiction. It goes without saying that this is the most important aspect of this story.
His coaching career is far from over. Like his predecessor, Lane Kiffin, Sarkisian was named the head coach initially for a good reason. He has been around premier high-level football for a long time and knows what he is doing. Also like Kiffin, Sark will likely get a coordinator job somewhere and resurrect his career. It may even be the case that facing his addiction will allow him to become a better coach. Somewhere down the line, we may see the phoenix rise from the ashes, and see Sarkisian get a second chance.
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It is chances, however, that Athletic Director Pat Haden has run out of. Since arriving in 2010, USC athletics have regressed, especially the football program. Haden is the one responsible for this, and also an enabler of Sarkisian. After the Salute to Troy incident prior to the season, he met with Sark, as well as a medical team.
Knowing full well the extent of the problem, Haden washed his hands in the fashion of Pontius Pilate, and allowed Sarkisian to continue coaching. He claimed that Sark would be receiving treatment, knowing full well that would be virtually impossible. The time it takes to run a college football program during the regular season allows for no other distractions, let alone fighting a serious addiction.
Running this program also takes a back seat to any other priorities, and Haden fully knew what he was doing. Haden even put in place restrictions on Sarkisian’s alcohol use , as if something as hollow as that would actually help.
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A day after the firing, which Haden reportedly executed through e-mail, Haden still has the “unwavering support,” of USC president Max Nikias. Nikias has even gone so far as to say that Haden is a man of “true character and integrity”. It is one thing when a program is winning and the administration has questionable judgment, but USC is not even successful. Pat Haden has gone on the field to argue with refs, made awful hires in both football and men’s basketball, and with the Sarkisian saga, has reached a new low.
Although he has received a public vote of confidence, one has to imagine that the success of the next football coach will weigh heavily in how much longer Haden has a job. His complete mismanagement of the transition from Kiffin through Ed Orgeron and Clay Helton to Sarkisian, and now back to Helton, is not a good mark on his record. The new hiring needs to have a long-term, consistent tenure.
One of the names being thrown around is Chip Kelly. Like Jon Gruden in the past, Kelly is a name that is being thrown around for almost every vacancy that comes up in the NCAA. While this is the trendy pick, Kelly would actually make sense at USC. While at Oregon, Kelly began recruiting in the state of California, and still has strong connections only two years removed from his college days. Currently struggling in the NFL, it would make sense for Kelly to come back to college, and bring his fast-paced offense to the Trojans.
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Kevin Sumlin is likely high on Haden’s list as well. While currently running a successful SEC program, USC is a definite upgrade from Texas A&M. His record speaks for itself. Sumlin took an A&M program that was solid, but nothing special, and led the transition to SEC power player. Along with that, he was able to somewhat keep Johnny Manziel from becoming too much of a distraction. While Johnny “Football” was undoubtedly a massive star in college, it never hurt the success of the Aggies. Being at USC, there are plenty of distractions to deal with, on almost a daily basis.
But most importantly, it should not be someone from the Pete Carrol coaching tree. Lane Kiffin was a disaster. Ed Orgeron was a serviceable interim, but was a Band-Aid and not a permanent fix. And as we now know, Sarkisian was a dumpster-fire. The need to recapture the glory of the Pete Carroll era is unrealistic. He created some great coordinators, but the head coach ship has sailed. Haden needs to go in a different direction.
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The need for a charismatic salesman is also an unnecessary direction. While you have to be a good recruiter, USC is going to get the talent. Any new hire has to be someone who is not just charismatic, but can coach football.
It is obvious that Pat Haden is the problem at USC. Nothing good has come from his tenure at the university. While Sarkisian has been the focus, and his health an wellness is the most important aspect of this story, it is Pat Haden who has fostered nothing positive in Los Angeles. The culture of a program starts at the top, with leadership, and it is blatant that Pat Haden has none.