Arch Manning’s apology to Holly Rowe (Getty Images)
1 team in history. Rowe recalled on Instagram that she first encountered Manning in 2017 at a Clemson playoff practice, when someone told her the 12 or 13-year-old kid in the white hoodie was going to be a good quarterback one day. Because of my comments, “I specifically want to apologize to Holly Rowe for what she personally had to deal with.
He brought up the fake clip, called it “hilarious,” and laughed. Arch Manning said at the press conference: “I’ve seen a few AI edits and stuff. Manning saw it, thought it was funny, and said so out loud in front of reporters. Manning said it in a room full of reporters, on camera, and several people in the room laughed along. I need to do better and will be more thoughtful going forward,” Manning said.
Texas quarterback Arch Manning publicly apologized Tuesday to ESPN sideline reporter Holly Rowe after laughing at a press conference about an AI-generated video depicting his head coach Steve Sarkisian backhanding her across the face. At the team’s weekly media availability Monday, Manning was asked if he had seen any social media posts about the postgame celebration. The room laughed with him. By Tuesday, he was posting an apology on Instagram, and the gap between those two moments tells you everything. I saw an AI edit of Sark’s interview. Have y’all seen that one? That’s a good one… of him slapping Holly Rowe. Yeah. That’s hilarious. What made the moment worse was the setting. This was not a private conversation or an off-the-cuff comment someone caught by accident. Manning had come out of Saturday night with real praise after leading three fourth-quarter touchdown drives in the largest comeback against an AP No. Monday was a reminder that in college football, the attention around a player like Manning does not stop at the sideline. There is nothing funny about it. It’s easy to say I didn’t mean it, but I know my words and actions were hurtful to a lot of people. He named Rowe directly. I have a ton of respect for her and appreciate her showing me grace in this moment. Rowe responded publicly the same day. She reposted Manning’s apology with the caption: “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. There is actually some history between them. That context makes the private conversation Rowe referenced slightly more meaningful. This was not two strangers exchanging statements through social media. They knew each other.
In the two-paragraph statement Manning posted on Instagram, he wrote: “In my press conference yesterday, I made an insensitive comment about an AI video.