Steve Sarkisian weight loss happened in 2020 after a heart surgery. Sarkisian was described as a ticking time bomb, but fortunately, Nick Saban saved his life.
The Texas head coach, Steve Sarkisian, has been sober for eight years. And it’s been eight years since that incident in USC.
Sarkisian was fired from USC after appearing intoxicated during meetings and games. He also went through a brutal divorce from his first wife, with whom he shares three kids.
But slowly and steadily, his life came back on track. His current wife, Loreal, helped him a lot, but it was also the coach’s will to turn his life back around.
Steve Sarkisian Weight Loss: Is He Suffering From Any Disease?
The Texas coach Steve Sarkisian weight loss can be credited to the healthy lifestyle he has adopted since his heart surgery. The football coach isn’t suffering from any disease or illness currently.
In 2020, Sarkisian underwent a heart surgery. At the time, Sarkisian was still a coach at Alabama under the leadership of Nick Saban. The heart surgery was to correct a congenital cardiovascular anomaly issue.
The surgery left a 7-inch vertical scar stretching from the top of his rib cage to his stomach, but it saved his life. And the Texas coach and his family are thankful to Nick Saban.
Saban had lost his father at age 46 due to heart issues. This led to Saban mandating his staff to get their heart health checked.
It was during the intensive physical exam that the physician discovered Sarkisian had a heart issue and immediately told him to get emergency surgery. Doctors put him into deep hypothermic circulatory arrest and slowed his heart to a crawl, dropped his body temperature, and then cut him open.
The examination also found that Steve was born with a bicuspid valve, which only 1% of the population is born with. The recovery happened during COVID-19, with Sarkisian having to do heart and lung exercises.
In 2020, in his interview with Sports Illustrated, Steve said the surgery allowed him to lose some weight. He also added that he felt a little lighter on his feet at practice.
Wife’s Support During The Toughest Time
Steve Sarkisian was at an all-time low in 2015. USC fired him as he showed erratic behaviors during practice. The coach was dealing with alcoholism after the divorce from his first wife.
But soon, he met his second wife, Loreal Sarkisian, and she helped him during the most difficult phase in his life. Saban has been sober since his firing from USC.
In 2017, two years after the incident, Sarkisian said he was still in a treatment program to address his alcohol problems. He told the reporters that his alcoholism problem goes back to at least his days coaching the Washington Huskies (2009-2013).
In 2021, Sarkisian said he wouldn’t be the man he is today if it wasn’t for that incident. He also shared that his experience would help his players who deal with adversity daily.
Steve said he wanted to become a model for them to look to. On the Pivot Podcast, Steve talked about his wife and her impact.
The coach said, “The reality of it is, there were things in my life that, shoot, I had to get reconnected to the Lord, and she helped me do that. I had to find my own self-confidence again.”
He continued, “She was the one when jobs would come up, she would say, ‘I don’t think that’s the one, I think you are better than that.”
Sarkisian added Loreal gave him the confidence to restart his life. In 2020, after the heart surgery, Loreal was the one who helped her husband walk again and helped him during the recovery process. Only one week had passed since they tied the knot.
In an interview, Loreal opened up about her fear after Steve’s surgery. At times, she would question whether Steve would return to normal activities, let alone coaching.
She would also drive him to the office every day at 5 AM, as Steve had been prohibited. But soon Steve found his pace, and now the two are seen living their best lives in Texas.
