Judge Rules USC Doesn't Owe Steve Sarkisian Anything in $30 Million Lawsuit

An arbitrator reportedly ruled the University of Southern California does not owe former head football coach Steve Sarkisian any money after he sued the school for wrongful termination.

TMZ Sports reported the news, noting Sarkisian—who is now the offensive coordinator for the Atlanta Falcons—sued the school for $30 million and said USC fired him for alcoholism instead of helping him.

The coach said alcoholism was a disability going by California law, but the arbitrator ruled the laws "[do] not insulate the failure to control a controllable disability nor afford an employee a second chance to control a disability in the future."

According to TMZ, a "booze-fueled rant at a Salute to Troy event in August 2015" led USC to require Sarkisian to attend counseling sessions. The school also said it gave the coach an agreement stipulating he could be immediately fired after another similar incident.

While the coach signed the agreement, he denied having an alcohol problem at the time.

The school then fired him in October that year, a day after placing him on indefinite leave after he appeared inebriated when arriving for meetings and practice. The ESPN.com report at the time cited a player who said Sarkisian "showed up lit to meetings again today" and noted USC's staff suspected he was under the influence during a game against Arizona State.

TMZ cited the arbitrator who said "Sarkisian must bear sole responsibility for having actively concealed from USC his claimed disabilities" after the coach initially said he didn't suffer from alcoholism after the incident at the Salute to Troy event.

Since then, Sarkisian has publicly spoken about his struggles with alcoholism and served as an assistant on the University of Alabama's staff before accepting the role with the Falcons.