Alcohol Banned from USC Locker Room After Steve Sarkisian Incident

Alcohol has been banned from the USC football locker room, according to a report from CBS Sports. The policy change, which was not confirmed by the university, comes on the heels of Steve Sarkisian’s erratic behavior at the Salute to Troy event over the weekend. The incident prompted Sarkisian to issue an apology for appearing to be drunk and using inappropriate behavior and to promise it wouldn’t happen again.

Sources told the Los Angeles Daily News that Sarkisian — as well as former coach Lane Kiffin — drank in the postgame locker room.

"According to sources who did not wish to be identified within the athletic dept. administration, Sarkisian drank alcohol in the USC locker room after games last season at the Coliseum and on the road. Former USC coach Lane Kiffin also consumed alcohol after games but interim coach Ed Orgeron said he banned it from the locker room when he took over in 2013. Sarkisian brought back alcohol last season and several sources said there was a culture of drinking that existed. This is believed to be a carryover from his days at the University of Washington, where he served as head coach from 2009-2013. “There were always beers and stuff around,” said a former Washington athletic department employee who asked not to be identified."

Considering all the craziness that’s surrounded the Trojan program in recent years, the decision to remove alcohol from the equation seems like a logical one. Allowing it around players who aren’t of legal drinking age is a bit of a risk in the first place.

[CBS Sports, Los Angeles Daily News]

[Image via USA Today]