Arch Manning apologises after laughing at fabricated video of Holly Rowe
The Texas quarterback said his comments about an AI-generated video depicting Steve Sarkisian hitting the reporter were hurtful.
Texas quarterback Arch Manning has apologised to reporter Holly Rowe after laughing about an altered video that falsely depicted coach Steve Sarkisian slapping her.
Manning referred to the clip during a media availability after Texas’s 24–23 comeback win over top-ranked Ohio State. The comments increased attention on the video, which had circulated online following the game.
In a social media post, Manning said there was “nothing funny” about the AI-generated video and acknowledged that his words and actions had hurt people. He specifically apologised to Rowe, saying he respected her and needed to be more thoughtful.
The fabricated footage showed Sarkisian turning back during a post-game interview and appearing to slap Rowe. There is no indication in the supplied material that the depicted assault occurred.
CBS Sports reported that the video had been viewed more than 20 million times by Tuesday morning, although that figure was not independently verified in the supplied material. The report said the clip gained substantially more attention after Manning mentioned it.
The controversy followed a game in which Texas overturned a 20–3 deficit to beat Ohio State 24–23. CBS Sports described the result as the biggest comeback this century against an Associated Press No. 1 team.
Sarkisian was also involved in a separate halftime interview incident with Laura Rutledge. ESPN attributed that episode to technical problems and apologised to Sarkisian.
