There once was a young Texas man
who was poised to take the world of football by storm. He burst onto the
college scene, ran roughshod over his opponents en route to a prestigious
award, and then rushed off to become an NFL star. Unfortunately, things didn't
work out so well, and he disappeared at age 23 into the nether world of the
has-beens.
Manziel reportedly wanted to
play for Mack Brown at the University of Texas. That didn't work out, but it
didn't stop him from becoming a freshman sensation in College Station. The Home
of the Twelfth Man was focused for two years on their First Man – their young phenom
quarterback from Tivy High School. But even before Manziel became 'Johnny
Football', his antics threatened his future.
A&M Head Coach Kevin Sumlin
should have had an inkling of what was to come when in June 2012, Manziel was arrested
before his first start. It happened after a fight, and when police arrived,
Manziel gave police officers a fake driver's license. He pled guilty in July
2013 for the license infraction, and the other two misdemeanor charges were
dropped. It may have seemed a small incident at the time, but it was just the
beginning of the off-field trouble.
The College Star
On the field, Manziel was
incredible. He became an immediate star with his exciting brand of play, and
ended his freshman season with six awards. He was the first ever freshman
Heisman Trophy winner, along with AP Player of the Year, SEC Offensive Player
of the Year, and more. A&M went 11-2 that season, and blew out Oklahoma in
the Cotton Bowl, 41-13.
Manziel picked up in 2013 right
where he left off. He threw 11 more touchdowns and only four more interceptions
than in the previous year, and finished 5th in the Heisman voting. A&M only
managed a 9-4 record that year, capped with a 52-48 win over Duke in the
Chick-fil-A Bowl. Manziel's quarterback rating of 172.9 was good enough for
third best in the country, his pass completion percentage (69.9%) was fourth,
and he tied for fourth in touchdown passes (37).
It was no great surprise when
Johnny Football elected to forgo his junior year and enter the NFL draft. Apparently,
he thought that two good seasons would put in him in position as a high draft
pick. Some observers agreed, while others did not. Although Manziel had been
pretty good on the field, his behavior caused some to speak out.
Former Oklahoma and Dallas
Cowboys coach Barry Switzer, in 2014, called Manziel "an arrogant little
prick," according to Yahoo
Sports.
The Draft
Although some probably
counseled Manziel to stay in school, it's hard to fault him for deciding to
cash in on his newfound celebrity and the opportunity to sign for big money as
a pro. When he was finally chosen as the 22nd pick in the first round of the
2014 draft by the Cleveland Browns, it didn't take long before his stock began
to plummet. Browns beat writer Mary Kay Cabot said in this October 2016
NJ.com/Darryl Slater story (How
much of a disaster was Johnny Manziel?):
"I knew right from the
start that Manziel had alcohol and substance use issues. I think the Browns
were too slow to react to his off-the-field escapades."
Unfortunately for Manziel and
the Browns, it didn't get any better from there. After two turbulent seasons of
starting, then not starting, then starting, then not, the Browns decided they
had had enough of Johnny Football. By 2015, the whirlwind was seemingly over,
and he was released.
It didn't take long before the
former hopeful ramped up the legend of the party boy. He has been accused of
trashing rental houses, wrecking borrowed cars, and beating up his now former
girlfriend, Colleen Crowley. He has been seen and videoed all over the country,
in bars and other places, with bottles of champagne and other such means of
entertainment. It's not illegal to drink in a bar, however, the many alleged
such incidents painted a picture of an immature, directionless young man. Such
a profile is not what NFL teams expect from their quarterbacks, and as of this
writing, Manziel remains a free agent.
Fired
He was dropped in 2016 by his
marketing agency, LRMR, and by his agent, Erik Burkhardt. High-powered agent
Drew Rosenhaus signed him, but fired him two months later, marking, according
to this ESPN
story, the first time in Rosenhaus' 27-year career that he had fired a
player. Nike ended their sponsor relationship with Manziel at the same time,
leaving many to wonder if the former Heisman winner would ever work again in
the NFL, or if he would even stay alive.
In the midst of his erratic
behavior, his father Paul Manziel, said in June 2016 in an ESPN
story:
"He's a druggie. It's not
a secret that he's a druggie… Hopefully he doesn't die before he comes to his
senses."
The elder Manziel went on to
say he felt his son would be better off behind bars. That is a possibility, as
reported in the above-mentioned ESPN story. The assault charges stemming from
the Crowley incident could send Manziel to jail for a year.
In the mean time though, the
former star college quarterback has reportedly resumed his college studies. In
September 2016, Dallas
News Sports Day writer Ben Baby wrote that an unnamed source had confirmed
Manziel's recent re-enrollment at Texas A&M. It is not clear whether
Manziel is physically attending classes in College Station or is participating
via online distance learning. Regardless of the method, it may be what he needs
to get his life back together.
The Future?
Is Manziel one of those guys
who, 15 or so years from now, will appear on a television commercial, and we
will say: "That guy used to be famous. Wasn't he a rapper or
something?"
"No, I think he was an
actor, or maybe a bank robber."
"No, he was a football
player."
"Really?"
"Yup."
"Was he any good?"
"For awhile he was. One of
the best. Then he threw it all away."
Then again, if he doesn't stop
partying like there's no tomorrow, he's likely to kill himself long before he
gets a chance to make any sort of comeback.
Larry Manch is an author, teacher, guitar player, freelance writer, and columnist.
His books include: 'The Toughest Hundred Dollars & Other
Rock & Roll Stories', 'A
Sports Junkie', 'The
Avery Appointment', 'Between
the Fuzzy Parts'.
He also writes about
baseball for Climbing Tal's Hill, food and travel on Miles
& Meals, and music/guitars on
The Backbeat.
He lives in Central
Texas with his wife and family.
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