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Los Angeles • Southern California fired Steve Sarkisian on Monday, one day after the troubled football coach was put on leave.
Athletic director Pat Haden made the move one day after determining Sarkisian showed up at school in no condition to lead practice, although Haden refused to reveal specifics about the coach's condition. Offensive coordinator Clay Helton was appointed interim coach Sunday.
USC hasn't elaborated on Sarkisian's problems, but the second-year coach had an embarrassing public display in August at a pep rally where he appeared to be intoxicated while giving a speech. Sarkisian later apologized and said he had combined alcohol and medication, but promised not to drink again during the season.
Sarkisian's unsteady appearance Sunday prompted Haden to make the program's fourth coaching change in just over two years.
"After careful consideration of what is in the best interest of the university and our student-athletes, I have made the decision to terminate Steve Sarkisian, effective immediately," Haden said in a statement.
"I want to add how proud I am of our coaching staff and players and the way they are responding to this difficult situation. Through all of this we remain concerned for Steve and hope that it will give him the opportunity to focus on his personal well-being."
Helton, Sarkisian's offensive coordinator, will officially lead his first practice Tuesday as the Trojans (3-2, 1-2 Pac-12) prepare for their annual rivalry game at No. 14 Notre Dame.
Sarkisian went 12-6 at USC, where he started as an assistant coach under Pete Carroll with the program's dominant teams of the past decade.
Sarkisian is well-known in Utah as a former BYU quarterback and has ties with several coaches on Utah's staff. Ute co-offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick and Sarkisian were Cougar teammates during the 1995-96 seasons.
Sharing an alma mater with Sarkisian and having coached against him as a player and coach, Whittingham had nothing but supportive words for the ex-USC coach who is reportedly struggling with alcohol abuse.
"I wish him the best," Whittingham said. "I hope everything works out for him. And that's really the key for Steve as a person, to make sure he gets everything back in order. And my guess is he will. He's a tough guy and we're pulling for him."
Said Carroll: "This is an opportunity for Sark to get right and to get well. We're pulling for him."
Sarkisian spent five years as Washington's head coach until 2013, when he left the Huskies for a reported five-year contract to return to his native Southern California, describing it as "a dream come true to be back in the Trojan family."
Sarkisian never faced significant public scrutiny for alcohol use in Seattle, although his enthusiasm for nights out became part of his identity among fans and boosters. An AP review of Sarkisian's expense reports from his years at Washington showed a steady acquisition of alcohol on his trips, ranging from mild indulgences to lavish liquor purchases, sometimes before lunch.
The 41-year-old Sarkisian is in the midst of a divorce from his wife, Stephanie, and he recently sold a palatial house south of Los Angeles. They have three children.