Keep doing what you’re doing, Johnny Football! As we focus on college football, we are always reminded of America’s most hated/loved player. We cannot go a day without hearing the latest controversy about Johnny Manziel. The sophomore Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback is undoubtedly living under the microscope.
Manziel may be college football’s most electrifying player, but he also may be the most confident and outwardly spoken as well. In the game against Rice University earlier this season, Manziel was noticed acting out what looked like a mock autograph signing after making a great play on the field. This received heavy criticism, and he was even pulled from the game for mouthing off to a Rice defender later in the game.
This autograph reference stems from an earlier report that Manziel had signed numerous autographs for a dealer and received $7,500 in payment. Manziel was never proven guilty, but was suspended for the first half of the season-opener against Rice for the scandal.
Manziel also received criticism for his offseason behavior, spending time with the likes of singer Justin Timberlake, rapper Drake and even basketball superstar Lebron James. It can be argued that a regular freshman in college probably would not be able to afford such an elaborate string of activities.
Finally, Manziel is still receiving second looks from his run-in with the law that came from a late-night fight before he was even named A&M’s starting quarterback. He was charged with three misdemeanors, one of which was providing a fake ID.
This is definitely not what you would expect from a 20-year-old Heisman Trophy winner. Especially one who conducts himself so maturely in interviews and television appearances.
My honest advice for Manziel: keep doing exactly what you are doing.
Any time a prestigious award is won, the media is going to nitpick and pry for juicy information that will provide a great story to the public. Especially when it seems to happen so often.
Manziel may not be doing what others perceive to be the right thing, but he is performing on the field next to perfection and outplaying the opposition immensely.
Even in the loss to Alabama, Manziel had a career day, passing for 464 yards and five touchdowns while rushing for another 98 yards. While it can be argued that he did throw two interceptions on the day, one of them was not entirely his fault, and he was in fact playing against Alabama, arguably the best defense in the country.
To put it into perspective, Manziel had 562 of Texas A&M’s 628 total yards. To anybody who is new to football, one person is generally not supposed to have 80 percent of his team’s total yardage for the day.
No matter what Manziel chooses to do from now until his career is over, he will be under the spotlight for one thing or another. There will always be individuals who absolutely hate his guts and ones who worship the ground he walks on.
Instead of worrying what spectators and the media think, Manziel should keep doing exactly what he is currently doing and keep winning football games.
It will be very hard for the media to focus on minor blemishes when he is hoisting his second back-to-back Heisman Trophy for the nation’s most outstanding player. He has already become the first freshman to ever receive the award, so is it impossible to fathom that he may become only the second player to ever receive two of the prestigious statues? I think not.
