Isn't It Kind Of Obvious That USC Won't Have To Pay Steve Sarkisian The Remainder Of His Contract?

Steve Sarkisian is expected to spend at least 30 days at the treatment facility

— Joe Schad (@schadjoe) October 14, 2015

Steve Sarkisian was fired by USC for cause and the school believes it won’t have to pay the remaining 3+ years of his five-year deal

— Joe Schad (@schadjoe) October 14, 2015

Ummm, duh? I mean, I am pretty sure even Steve Sarkisian knew that he violated the terms of his contract and wouldn't be getting paid anymore once he heard (through texts with his friends, of course) that he was fired. That's why we are talking about him like he has a problem. He knowingly risked three years pay because being drunk for the few hours when he was supposed to be coaching football was more important to him than millions of dollars. That's millions of dollars that he probably would have received anyway if he had just stayed sober until January and let USC inevitably fire him for his performance instead of his BAC. That's a true alcoholic's mentality. It's not the urge to want to be intoxicated during football games, but the ability to prioritize it ahead of three years of a seven figure salary that's the real concern here.

If Steve Sarkisian wasn't risking USC's financial commitment to him by stepping on the field wasted then he wouldn't even be considered an alcoholic. He would just be considered a pretty fun guy that didn't give a shit about his job. If he thought he could get paid after showing up on gameday hammered then he wouldn't have a spent a single second on the sideline completely clear headed. Hell, with the amount of scrutiny that comes with a job as high profile as the USC Head Coaching position, I probably wouldn't either. Money is the motivation. Money is always the motivation. It's the motivation to get up in the morning and go to work, and it's definitely the motivation to do so sober. Even bartenders know you can't drink on the job, I am pretty sure 'Sark After Dark' knew exactly what the potential ramifications of his actions could be. Plus, not giving the helpless alcoholic more unearned money and less responsibility isn't just better for the university's bottomline, it's what's better for his long term health.