Sarkisian hurt by poor decisions

Sark’s slip up · Head football coach Steve Sarkisian has been the topic of national discussion following his inappropriate behavior at Salute to Troy. He said it was a result of mixing alcohol and medication. – Mariya Dondonyan | Daily Trojan

When the news broke last weekend about coach Steve Sarkisian’s behavior at Salute to Troy, I laughed. At first glance, it seemed pretty harmless and comical and, frankly, not that big of a deal. The jokes were easy, including my personal favorite: Sark shouldn’t be expected to finish drinks or speeches if he can’t even finish a second half. I actually appreciated what he said; a coach with fire and a rah-rah attitude is rarely a bad thing.

Then the event became a national news story, and it wasn’t as funny anymore. At that point it was just troubling. A week later, and it seems the only ostensible punishment Sarkisian received was a public scolding from Athletic Director Pat Haden and some up-downs from the football team. While the thought of a coach having to go through a series of up-down drills is pretty hysterical, it’s simply not enough.

This has nothing to do with calling out Sark for possible issues with substances or anything of that nature. I doubt he is the only coach who celebrates big victories with a couple of drinks. When it is in private, that seems normal and fine. The issue is with his judgement, which is not befitting of a coach at the helm of the USC program.

You learn in ninth grade health class not to mix prescription medicine and alcohol. So what was he thinking when doing that at one of the most popular and important rallies of the year? Plenty of students drink at USC. Yet, the grand majority of us would have the impulse control and self-discipline to avoid mixing alcohol with meds at any important or professional event. How is a grown man, who is supposed to steward a program full of teenagers, reckless enough to do that in public with cameras everywhere?

Everyone makes mistakes, and most are entitled to a second chance. I’m sure an argument could be made that what Sark did was a fireable offense and that might have merit, but I don’t think he should lose his job. However, he should absolutely be suspended without pay. That would send the right message from Heritage Hall.

Taking the head coaching job at USC comes with scrutiny and pressure. This isn’t Montana State, so if you mess up, you are going to end up on both ESPN and TMZ. There are higher expectations here and also a pretty substantial paycheck to help alleviate some of the stress the job might bring home. If a coach can’t handle that or embarrasses the program nationally, he shouldn’t be the coach -— plain and simple.

Coaching at USC is more than X’s and O’s. Lane Kiffin didn’t understand that, and he found himself in the wrong airport hangar. It doesn’t seem like Sark understands that either. Not to mention, he didn’t exactly wow anyone with his in-game management last year anyway.

The one thing Sark can do better than most is recruit, but that may take a hit now. I doubt parents are going to be so gung-ho about sending their kids to L.A. when there is a national perception floating around that our coach parties harder than the players.

What about the recruits who come from heavily religious backgrounds and have an aversion to alcohol? How is Sark going to compete with the likes of Nick Saban and Urban Meyer when the first thing parents are wondering about is his sobriety? I’m sure USC will still recruit very well, especially if they win this year, but this certainly puts a chink in the armor.

Secondly, how will Sark discipline any student athlete with substance abuse problems when he wasn’t suspended himself? Though there are admittedly plenty of distinctions between a student and a professional in terms of conduct and rules, I doubt a student athlete will acknowledge the differences if he misses a game since Sark walked away scot-free. On a team full of college-aged students, this situation is bound to arise.

The one caveat to all of this is that winning cures everything. If the Trojans are able to live up to their immense potential, this will become a footnote for the season. However, I’m honestly afraid that Sark is not a good enough coach to ensure that happens. Though USC may win most games because of the huge discrepancy in talent, thanks to Sark’s recruiting prowess, when faced with a team of equal merit, we do not have the coaching edge.

I hope I’m wrong. I will gladly swallow my words if it means winning a Pac-12 and national championship, but nothing in Sarkisian’s track record indicates that will happen. And when it doesn’t — and USC has a couple of losses in their record — you can be sure that the topic of Sark’s drinking will be brought up again. That is a distraction the program simply does not need.

USC is an elite program that needs an elite coach, not just on the field and in the living room of recruits, but also in the public eye as well. It’s simply not good enough to fulfill some of these criteria; the Trojans need someone who fulfills them all because those are the coaches who build dynasties. Unfortunately, Sark has yet to show he can do that. Let’s hope that changes moving forward.

Jake Davidson is a junior majoring in accounting. His column, “Davidson’s Direction,” runs Mondays.