The Arch Manning–Holly Rowe flap may have cooled off, but the fallout is far from over. While the young Texas quarterback and the veteran sideline reporter have both moved on, ESPN's Linda Cohn is keeping the heat on — and she's aiming it squarely at Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian.
On her podcast Wednesday, Cohn argued that Sarkisian's abrupt exit from that now-famous on-field interview is what ignited the whole mess. She didn't mince words, saying the coach's impatience with Rowe's technical difficulties set a tone that his 22-year-old signal-caller unfortunately followed.
“Here's the irony I just can't get past: the 22-year-old quarterback Arch Manning has now publicly acknowledged his mistake; the reporter who posted the exchange has acknowledged his mistake; maybe the head coach should acknowledge his part in the original moment too,” Cohn said.
“When you're Steve Sarkisian, you're not just coaching football, no, you're setting an example for all those young men watching you, including Arch Manning. And if you are going to demand patience, demand accountability, and maturity from your players, you have to show those things yourself, especially when you're frustrated.”
Cohn's critique digs deeper than a simple misstep. She sees it as a teaching moment for every adult in the building — not just the players. “Arch Manning apologized, and he should have, but maybe the biggest lesson in this entire ridiculous circus isn't for the 22-year-old Arch Manning. It's for all the adults in the room.” she added. “For Arch, he won't and shouldn't be defined by this. But I can't help but think he never would have been in this position if his head coach just did the right thing, not run off like someone was chasing him and run away from your responsibility, but instead say, 'Hey, Holly, I'm sorry about your technical issues that you're going through. I can't wait. I want to really go celebrate with my team, and then walk away.'”
For what it's worth, Sarkisian did issue an apology to Rowe on Thursday. “If hindsight's 20/20, if I could do it all over again, I would have exuded more patience in that moment and sat through and waited for the interview with Holly. Obviously, we have a ton of respect for ESPN and Holly. Holly and I go way back to even to my days of playing at BYU, and we've got a great relationship. ESPN is a great partner of ours.”
But Cohn's point stands: the apology, while welcome, doesn't erase the ripple effect. The incident has already sparked a tech-related excuse from Texas, and Manning's own “hilarious” AI video comment drew sharp criticism. Some have even called for an apology from Manning himself, while others have defended the young QB.
For Cohn, the lesson is bigger than one awkward moment. It's about leadership and accountability — and whether the adults are modeling the behavior they demand from their players. As she put it, the whole episode is a reminder that even the most visible figures in sports can stumble when the spotlight is hottest.
Whether Sarkisian's apology is enough to quiet his critics remains to be seen. But Cohn's take has added a new layer to a story that seemed to have already run its course — and it's a layer that many fans are likely to chew on for a while.
