Texas QB Arch Manning apologised after laughing on camera at an AI-generated video of his coach slapping a reporter. Was the backlash to an obviously fake clip fair, or overblown?

What happened

After Texas's comeback win over Ohio State, an AI-generated video circulated showing coach Steve Sarkisian slapping sideline reporter Holly Rowe, a fabrication of a real moment where Sarkisian abruptly ended a postgame interview. Asked about viral clips from the game, Manning laughed and called the fake video hilarious, drawing immediate backlash. He apologized on Instagram the next day, specifically to Rowe, who said she accepted it.

Why people disagree

Critics say laughing at an AI depiction of a man hitting a woman, even a fabricated one, normalizes real violence and was a bad look regardless of intent, especially from a high-profile player with real influence. Defenders say Manning, 22, was reacting to an absurd meme in a casual moment, immediately apologized once he understood the reaction, and that the backlash-to-a-joke cycle has become disproportionate to what actually happened.

What's still unclear

Whether the real story here is Manning's comment at all, or that a violent, fabricated AI video of a real person could be made and go viral within hours with no consequence for whoever created it.