Johnny Manziel has brought the Texas A&M‘s football program more popularity than they’ve ever had. They’re ranked No. 6 going into the season and their starting quarterback is the reigning Heisman Trophy winner.
But the party-hard play-maker can’t seem to stay out of the spotlight for all the wrong reasons.
After leaving Archie Manning‘s quarterback camp early because he was “absolutely not” hungover from “probably not” drinking, Manziel continues to feed the media frenzy surrounding him.
Within the span of the summer, Manziel has gone from Johnny Football to Johnny Faux Pas.
From skipping Manning’s camp, to fraternity party hopping at rival University of Texas, to having a supposed alcohol problem, to selling autographs, Johnny Manziel just cannot catch a break.
The guy is making mistakes, that’s a given, but he’s a 20-year-old Heisman winner and the most popular college kid in existence. He’s going to live it up and he has every right to. This outrage over his actions is completely overblown, and with each new headline, it becomes more and more believable that the media is honed in on bringing him down.
It would not be surprising at all if tomorrow’s headlines read, “Johnny Manziel caught jaywalking — should he face prison time?”
It’s a pity what is happening to the A&M quarterback. When he first won the Heisman, he was on top of the world. Then pictures began to surface of him celebrating his award and the speculation began. He is a college student who drinks, that does not mean he has an alcohol problem and needs counseling.
The only thing he has technically done wrong is the new charge on selling autographs, if indeed they are proven to be true. It’s a silly rule in and of itself, but it is a rule regardless, and he should have known better. College athletes need to be compensated for their performance on the field, it’s because of them that these big name Universities sell memorabilia and tickets. But again, that does not mean what he did is excusable.
That being said, this should be the first news story to have broken into the public spectrum about Manziel. He’s not a criminal, he’s having fun in college, an enjoyable time in life, and for that he is being punished.
Hopefully Manziel will be able to play this year, and hopefully his performance on the field will give the media something more positive to harp about.
