Former ESPN personality and MLS analyst Taylor Twellman isn’t thrilled with the way the sports world is treating Arch Manning this week.
After leading Texas to an epic comeback against Ohio State last weekend, Steve Sarkisian abruptly ended his postgame interview with ESPN reporter Holly Rowe. That led to people creating AI-generated videos where Sarkisian hits Rowe at midfield.
Manning was asked about some of the AI-generated videos during his media availability on Monday. He later apologized to Rowe for his “insensitive” remarks.
“In my press conference yesterday, I made an insensitive comment about an AI video. 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. I do not take that lightly and am deeply sorry for that,” Manning wrote on Instagram. “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.”
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Twellman believes it’s ridiculous that Manning is being painted as someone who condones violence towards women.
Additionally, Twellman thinks the reporters in the room who laughed at Manning’s comments deserve more criticism than the 22-year-old quarterback.
“I’d rather see the apologies of all the reporters that laughed in the room,” Twellman wrote on X. “Under no circumstances does anyone think Arch condones violence on women but how come the accountability falls only on him?? Or even the person who asked the dumb question?!”
Who asked Arch Manning this controversial question?
Evan Vieth of Inside Texas was the reporter who asked Manning about the edited videos on TikTok. He took full accountability for his actions on Tuesday.
“Yesterday, I published a tweet of Arch Manning responding to a question of mine, where he mentioned seeing an AI video of Steve Sarkisian slapping Holly Rowe,” he wrote on X. “I captioned his response as “gold.” I realized quickly that I had made a mistake and was far too hasty in publishing the video without further context and with an inappropriate caption. For that, I am deeply sorry.”
Vieth also issued a public apology to Rowe, referring to her as “one of the best” in the industry.
“As a young journalist just getting started in this industry, I deeply admire the hard work, time, and dedication Holly Rowe has put in to become one of the best reporters working today. I never meant to disrespect her work, vilify Manning, or spread hatred toward anyone, but intent isn’t the same as impact, and I own that,” Vieth continued. “I sincerely apologize for how I chose to present the tweet, and I’ll be more careful going forward, especially when it comes to AI-generated content and how quickly I hit send.”
Rowe has already had conversations with Manning behind closed doors. It’s unclear if she’ll also speak to Vieth before Week 3 kicks off.
