There always has been an unyielding human element to the 2015 story of Steve Sarkisian, no matter how easy dismissing it was for the rest of us.
Now, there’s no avoiding Sarkisian’s frailties as his story turns as sad as a 41-year-old father of three trying to keep his life from going to pieces.
Sarkisian’s days as USC’s head coach should be over, his forced leave of absence announced Sunday likely the first official step toward that end.
At the moment, it’s impossible to imagine any scenario that concludes with him back in charge of a program too high-profile to be so compromised.