Matthew Emmons: USA TODAY Sports
Since winning the coveted Heisman Trophy this past December, Texas A&M Aggies redshirt freshman Johnny Manziel has been living it up. In the past month, he’s been seen sitting court side at various NBA games, watching a Dallas Cowboys game from inside a suite, flashing cash in an Oklahoma casino, and most recently on the cover of TMZ.com while celebrating a Cotton Bowl victory with a bottle of Dom Perignon at a Dallas night club.
Manziel’s recent antics have since captured the attention of the Aggie’s athletic director Eric Hyman, who recently set up a meeting with Manziel’s parents to discuss their son’s recent extracurricular activities. Hyman felt that it would be best to talk about the young phenom’s image going forward as a representative of the university.
To be fair, Manziel is young and most people his age do indeed like to go out and have a good time. Unfortunately for Manziel, the spotlight around him is brighter than ever.
Hyman had the following to say about Manziel’s newfound fame and the responsibility it brings:
It’s (about) education, and we’ve got to help the family and Johnny with the transition into being a Heisman award winner. There are things you have to learn, and we have to help him with that. That’s a special fraternity, but you also have to understand (Manziel) is 20 years old. It’s a tremendous responsibility – but it is a responsibility.
Manziel is no stranger to finding trouble. Last summer, he was arrested for fighting, failing to identify himself to the police, and for possessing two fake IDs.
Considering Manziel’s history, it’s a good move by Hyman to try to and tame the situation before it spirals out of control.
No one should begrudge Manziel for having his fun, but he certainly needs to be smart about it because the spotlight is only going to grow brighter and brighter as his career continues.
