Matthew Emmons-US PRESSWIRE
Oh, we all knew this was coming, didn’t we? Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel had a tremendous freshman season on his way to an historic Heisman Trophy win and an impressive season-ending win in the Cotton Bowl over the Oklahoma Sooners. But what does a 20 year-old man do when he’s a Heisman trophy winner and has the college world on a string? If you are Manziel, you act a bit like a clown and you begin to trouble your university.
The beginning of all this came not long after his Heisman trophy win, when in mid-December Manziel was spotted courtside at a Dallas Mavericks game; a ticket that is very pricey. But nothing was made of it, primarily because Manziel’s family has money and so the notion of him accepting improper benefits was never really an issue. You can read all about it here.
But then Manziel followed it up with some questionable photos of himself he posted online fanning out big wads of cash he said he won at the casino along with another image of Manziel and a half empty bottle of champagne celebrating his Cotton Bowl win at a prominent Dallas 21 and over club. Probably not the press the club wanted, and another example of Manziel exhibiting poor judgment.
These events on their own would be enough to raise eyebrows, but now with the latest news that Manziel was arrested for his involvement in a bar fight and having a fake ID back in June of 2012, a pattern is beginning to develop. Manziel has the chance to be one of the great college football players of all time, but in his first year on the scene he’s shown himself to also be a spoiled, petulant child who seems to live with a sense of entitlement and the feeling that he can do no wrong. But Texas A&M athletic director Eric Hyman seems to disagree as he’s already had to sit down and meet with Manziel’s parents about how to better deal with Manziel’s new found fame and the decisions he’s making because of it. Not good, Johnny. Not good. The Manziel’s have plenty of money. Maybe they can hire Dr. Phil to council Johnny.
I would never wish any ill will on a young man like Manziel. I hope he gets his head screwed back on straight and goes on to a successful college career. But it won’t shock me at all if he crashes and burns. 20 years old, top of the college football world with all eyes on him and a feeling of being invincible is a formula for disaster. His family and the Texas A&M administration need to get his head coach involved in this because Kevin Sumlin knows his success is tied directly to Manziel, so if he wants to win, he’d better reign in his spoiled quarterback before he does something(else) stupid.
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