You either hate him or you love him. Chances are that unless you are from the general A&M fanbase, it’s the former. Coming into last season, he was a guy who few had on their radar. To be honest, no one even had Texas A&M on their radar as serious contenders amongst the SEC behemoths, as most would have expected about 6 wins in the season. Johnny Manziel, however, had other plans for the Aggies.
How he came out to show the people of A&M and college football that he is legitimate was amazing. After a record-setting season and a Heisman trophy at Texas A&M, everyone learned who the real Johnny Football is – at least on the field. After stumbling out of the gates after missing week one, and losing their first SEC game to Florida in week two, the team gelled behind Manziel, finishing very strong. In fact, many football experts had the team as one of the top few in the very, very deeply talented SEC.
Manziel’s offseason, however, has been a wild one, and a complete 180 from the calm, cool and collected pivot on the field. From frat parties to alleged hangovers, people have heard the worst of Johnny Manziel. In the summer of June 2012 Johnny Manziel was arrested and jailed for disorderly conduct, failure to identify himself to authorities and possessing a false identification card, all misdemeanors. This is all before his first season with the Aggies.
Since the last campaign wrapped up, he has been caught at parties drinking beer and hanging out with people drinking beer (the Hell you say!). Maybe this is the real Johnny Manziel, nothing but a “troubled” athlete. But what about all the other athletes who get into trouble yet wouldn’t make the 10th page of the local newspaper that no one ever reads anyway. We tend not to fuss about them because, why, they aren’t as good? He is certainly not the only player who gets into trouble, though when you’re branded with the Heisman, it kind of paints a red circle on your chest. Of course many will point the extra demands expected of such a trophy winner, but can we agree there has been gross overreaction? This kid is still 20 years old. Give him a break. And not that it makes what he did right, or legal, but he is playing in the SEC, which let’s be honest, has its fair share of “suspect” personalities.
I suppose when you are a Heisman Trophy winner you are expected to do things the prim and proper way, like showing up at special events, signing autographs and the like. Johnny Manziel has partied a lot, but he is living the college life as well. Are the expectations of him and how he conducts himself fair? Does football, or more specifically his school, media and fans have the right to dictate how he carries himself? I suspect most would answer with a resounding, emphatic “yes”. Certainly Johnny Manziel will need to prove something this year coming season to his naysayers, and remind everyone that he is still Johnny Frickin’ Football, and that he really does have class.
Thanks for reading! Interested in writing for LastWordOnSports? If so, check out our “Join Our Team” page to find out how. Be sure to follow me on twitter for your NFL needs –@GigemRoss, and the follow the site @lastwordonsport while you are at it.
Football fans…check out Thursday Night Tailgate Radio as hosts Chris Mascaro and Angelo Cane chat with current and former NFL and College players. NFL stars open up on TNT because they’re regular guys, without network influence. Access the show in the sidebar on our home page or by visiting their website at ThursdayNightTailgate.com. Learn more about the show including their upcoming schedule at their page at LWOS.
