Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian didn’t hide his anger Saturday night after a report suggested he was eyeing an NFL job.
The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reported that representatives for Sarkisian had informed NFL decision-makers that he would be interested in potential head coach openings, including the Tennessee Titans’ vacancy. Sarkisian’s agents Jimmy Sexton and Ed Marynowitz quickly refuted the story, calling it “patently false and wildly inaccurate.”
After Texas’ 45-38 overtime win at Mississippi State, Sarkisian unloaded on the report during his postgame press conference. The visibly frustrated coach said he was upset not only at the initial claim but also at how rapidly it spread across the sports world.
“It really pisses me off that one person can make a report that in turn, the entire media sports world runs with as factual to the point where my agency and my agents have to put a statement out,” Sarkisian said. “I had to do that to protect my locker room and my team. I thought it was absolutely ridiculous. I thought it was completely unprofessional of that person to put that report out, and the fact that everybody ran with it is borderline embarrassing for the media.”
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Sarkisian went further saying that no one speaks for him without his direct approval. “I’ve got a small circle when I make decisions on what I do and what I don’t do, and nobody would speak on my behalf without me knowing,” he said.
While speculation about Sarkisian’s future may resurface in the future, the fifth-year Texas coach made it clear he’s focused on the Longhorns and isn’t planning to discuss his next move through rumors or leaks.
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