Steve Sarkisian takes swipe at Desmond Howard, doubles down on Texas commitment
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Steve Sarkisian seemingly took a swipe at ESPN analyst Desmond Howard on Thursday when he met with local reporters.
During his appearance on the SEC coaches teleconference call on Wednesday, Sarkisian once again took aim at “absolutely false” reporting in recent weeks that has cast doubt on his future as the Texas head coach. “I’m not going anywhere,” he said. Then, at a media availability on Thursday, Sarkisian was asked if that message was directed at anyone in particular.
“It was for everybody,” he said. “It might have just been for me, I don’t know. The thing about yesterday was this, at the end of the day, I have a locker room full of players who give me everything they have at the end of the day. The last thing I want is for them to feel as though what people are saying about me, outside our building, is serving as a distraction for them, and or their families. But also, I wanted to say that for Longhorn Nation. Because I don’t want them, or anybody here, to feel like, ‘Boy, Sark is window shopping or maybe he is trying to go.'”
Steve Sarkisian was forced into the coaching carousel conversation last month when a report from The Athletic linked him to the Tennessee Titans vacancy in the NFL. Sarkisian’s agents issued a statement shortly after calling the report “patently false.” Sarkisian then took exception with the reporting and for other media sources aggregating the news and spreading it.
“I’ve got a small circle,” Sarkisian said last month. “When I make decisions on what I do and what I don’t do, nobody will speak on my behalf without me knowing.”
More drama unfolded on Monday when Howard, who sits on the desk for ESPN’s College GameDay, posted a video on his social media page suggesting Sarkisian and Texas could mutually part ways at the end of the season.
“A lil sumthin sumthin you can only get here,” Howard captioned the video, which was shot while he was taking his trash to the curb.
Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte quoted the post, adding, “This is news to me.”
Sarkisian had a message for Howard on Thursday.
“And maybe for some of the pundits out there that don’t cover me and cover our program on a regular basis, so they can’t just take their trash out and have a thought to think that ‘I think Texas is going to have a job opening,'” Sarkisian said. “Think about something else when you’re taking your trash out.”
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
