Just moments after orchestrating one of the biggest comebacks in college football this season, Arch Manning found himself in a very different kind of spotlight – one he didn’t ask for and clearly didn’t see coming. A throwaway line about a viral AI clip turned into a full-blown media firestorm, and while the internet piled on, NFL legend LeSean McCoy hit pause on the outrage and offered the young quarterback a bit of grace.

“It’s hard for me to say it’s a bad look,” McCoy said on the Speakeasy Podcast. “I mean, you talking about something he had nothing to do with. I mean, they asked him about the question, and he said, “Oh, it was funny.” You know, now I don’t know if he even probably even seen it in a certain way.

“He’s a young kid… All this AI stuff, all these different, you know, things that they’re posting. People are having fun with it. So, I’m not going to, you know, fault him for this.”

On Saturday night, the Texas Longhorns and QB Arch Manning came back from a 20-point deficit to beat the Ohio State Buckeyes 24-23. Following the game, ESPN sideline reporter Holly Rowe came into the picture for a brief interview with Longhorns HC Steve Sarkisian.

However, Sarkisian gave a brief, high-energy shout to Rowe, yelling “That’s called Texas fight! Hook ’em!” before walking away and cutting the interview short.

Shortly after, the netizers used AI tools to generate a fake video originating from the real post-game broadcast, where they made Sarkisian look as though he physically attacked Rowe, which was not the case. Yet, it garnered quite an attention, including Arch Manning’s.

“I’ve seen a few AI edits and stuff, but that’s about it. I saw an AI edit of Sark’s interview,” Manning said, laughing, in the post-game press conference. “Have you all seen that one? That’s a good one. Of him slapping Holly Rowe? That’s hilarious.”

According to LeSean McCoy, the 22-year-old Longhorns quarterback should not be held accountable for something that he was directly a part of.

Nevertheless, while the University of Texas has not released a formal statement, Arch Manning has come forward with a public apology.

“In my press conference yesterday, I made an insensitive comment about an AI video. There is nothing funny about it,” Manning wrote on Instagram Stories. “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.

“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.”

However, his statements have since been met with a swarm of backlash. The loudest criticisms were of both the quarterback’s lack of judgment and the behavior of the journalists in the press room who laughed along.

“If you’re making fun of this Hall of Famer and not taking those reporters to task who were in that Longhorns press room with the QB1 laughing right along with him, then all I can say is that you are doing it all completely wrong,” former ESPN reporter Cindy Brunson captioned an Instagram post.

Rowe even acknowledged Brunson’s support, writing, “Thank you, Cindy,❤️” in the comments, hinting at her displeasure with how things transpired.