Sarkisian: CC inspired me to seek treatment

FORMER USC and University of Washington head coach Steve Sarkisian said CC Sabathia inspired him to receive help with his addiction to alcohol. Sabathia announced right before the 2015 MLB postseason he was entering a rehab facility to seek treatment for alcohol abuse.

“I was actually at home on a Sunday night and I was watching SportsCenter, and Scott Van Pelt was doing his editorial,” Sarkisian, currently the Falcons offensive coordinator, said according to ESPN. “That night was when CC Sabathia had decided to go to treatment before the Major League Baseball playoffs. I thought to myself, ‘Whoa, here’s somebody who is like me, who is in a very high profile position in sports — ace pitcher of the New York Yankees — and was being relatively commended or almost celebrated for going to do what he did.’

“I knew I needed to (go). I didn’t know how to go about it. But that thing gave me a feeling of, ‘There’s a like person that is going to do this. I know I need to do it. Now how, what, when.’ So I made the decision to go do it. It’s been the best decision of my life.”

Sarkisian is currently in a treatment program. “It is something that is daily, and there’s varying degrees of what I do each day,” he said, per ESPN. “But the reality of it is, it’s gone really well. And I’m in a great place.”

Sabathia said he feels some validation from seeing Sarkisian getting help.

“It means a lot. I feel like I made the right decision,” Sabathia said. “It’s great to see him doing well. That’s not why I made the decision, but I’m happy that people can take a little bit from it.”

— Tasch