Arch Manning apologizes to Holly Rowe over AI video joke

The Texas quarterback said an AI clip of coach Steve Sarkisian appearing to slap ESPN's Holly Rowe was 'hilarious'; he later called the comment insensitive and apologized directly to Rowe.

Published 15 September 2026 1 min read Sportpul editorial

Arch Manning apologised on Tuesday for a joke he made a day earlier about an AI-generated video showing Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian slapping ESPN reporter Holly Rowe.

The clip had circulated online after Saturday's game, in which the Longhorns beat No 1 Ohio State 24-23. In the real postgame interview, Rowe tried to ask Sarkisian a question and the coach cut her off, shouted a pair of Texas slogans and walked away.

Asked on Monday about the Social media reaction to the win, Manning brought up the AI edit himself. "I've seen a few AI edits, that's about it. I saw an AI edit of Sark's interview," he said. "Y'all seen that one? That's a good one. Of him slapping Holly Rowe. It's hilarious." The room laughed.

By Tuesday, Manning had posted an apology on his Instagram story. "In my press conference yesterday, I made an insensitive comment about an AI video. There is nothing funny about it," he wrote. "It's easy to say I didn't mean it, but I know my words and actions were hurtful to a lot of people. I do not take that lightly and am deeply sorry for it."

He addressed Rowe directly. "I specifically want to apologize to Holly Rowe for what she has personally had to deal with because of my comments. I have a ton of Respect for her and appreciate her showing me grace in this moment. I need to do better and will be more thoughtful going Forward."

Rowe replied on Instagram the same day. "Thank you Arch. I appreciate our conversation about this - which will remain private. Apology accepted. We move Forward with Respect and kindness for one another."

We had this one down as a loss for Texas beforehand; our prediction and match breakdown for Longhorns-Buckeyes are at /en/american_football/prediction/longhorns-buckeyes-2026-09-12-5586/ and /en/american_football/event/longhorns-buckeyes-2026-09-12_2219854/.