Sarkisian Reveals How He's 'Evolved' After Alcohol Issues

Steve Sarkisian on overcoming personal struggles: “I don’t know if I would be the coach that I am today”

As the new football coach at the University of Texas, Steve Sarkisian has hit the ground running. But as a man? He's still climbing.

“It's a very public situation,'' he says of the struggles with alcohol that for a time derailed his career. "You know, I don't know if I would be the coach that I am today, the man that I am today, the leader that I am today if I didn't go through that.”

Sarkisian is used to being in the spotlight, and he is not hesitant to be vulnerable and transparent about his personal issues. In a recent interview, Sarkisian joined the G-Bag Nation on 105.3 The Fan and opened up about how his past has helped him move forward.

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Sarkisian said, “I think we all go through things in life. We all have adversity we get faced with, and how we respond to it. The attitude we embrace for each day to respond to, whether it's self-inflicted adversity or outside adversity that you get presented with. 

"I think it really shaped me quite frankly, and from 2015 to now, 2021.”

Sarkisian, who lost his job at USC due to the issues, believes that he will help his players by sharing his experience:

“I think the fact that I'm dealing with 18 to 22-year-old males who deal with adversity on a daily basis that I can be a model for them to look to,'' he said. "That I can be a sounding board for them that I've dealt with some real-life experiences. That I did have the perseverance to fight through.”

Even with his achievement as Texas' head coach, Sarkisian pledged he will continue to strive for self-improvement.

Said Sarkisian (listen to full visit here): “I'm humbled and I'm honored, but this is not the destination like, 'I made it ... Now I'm a head coach again I'm good I can relax.' I'm still on the journey of showing how much that I've evolved in where I've come, and what I think there's so much more for me to do here that that's I think what makes this opportunity so exciting. The impact that I can have on so many young men through my own experiences.”

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