[fishman]

"I'm not defending Sarkisian, whose behavior was boorish at best. But the mere fact that he was under the influence at a banquet does not strike me, in and of itself, as evidence that he's an alcoholic or has lost all sense of professional propriety."

I don't think the comparisons to newsrooms' afterhours drinking, etc. have much validity.

•This is the guy who's supposed to be the leader of the group being featured (i.e. the team) at the event
•This is the guy who's the featured speaker and focus of the event
•The audience includes his team's biggest financial supporters and boosters
•The audience also includes the members of the team he's supposed to be leading
•This isn't just a routine everyday event, it's the showcase for the upcoming year
•His direct bosses are present and closely watching his performance

He may or may not be an alcoholic. but this incident is definitely not remotely comparable to "having a few with the boys"
during or after work!

[fishman]

"I'm not defending Sarkisian, whose behavior was boorish at best. But the mere fact that he was under the influence at a banquet does not strike me, in and of itself, as evidence that he's an alcoholic or has lost all sense of professional propriety."

I don't think the comparisons to newsrooms' afterhours drinking, etc. have much validity.

•This is the guy who's supposed to be the leader of the group being featured (i.e. the team) at the event
•This is the guy who's the featured speaker and focus of the event
•The audience includes his team's biggest financial supporters and boosters
•The audience also includes the members of the team he's supposed to be leading
•This isn't just a routine everyday event, it's the showcase for the upcoming year
•His direct bosses are present and closely watching his performance

He may or may not be an alcoholic. but this incident is definitely not remotely comparable to "having a few with the boys"
during or after work!