Johnny Manziel might be a better troll than he is a quarterback.
The Texas A&M star threw three touchdowns after being suspended for the first half against Rice due to what the school called “inadvertent” violations of the NCAA’s rules against signing autographs. And as he was making the hapless Rice defenders look silly, he was taunting them – and likely his haters – by making autograph and money gestures.
With 10 minutes remaining in the third, “Johnny Football” took off and ran for an 8-yard gain. Afterward, he appeared to tell a Rice player “I won’t give you an autograph.”
On the very next play, the reigning Heisman winner threw a 23-yard touchdown pass. To celebrate? He held up his hands and rubbed his fingers together – the universal mannerism for counting money.
In the fourth quarter, Manziel was hit for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty after throwing a touchdown pass and jawing with opposing players. When he saw the flag on the field, Manziel pointed up at the scoreboard. That prompted A&M coach Kevin Sumlin to pull him from the game.
“That wasn’t very smart and that’s why he didn’t go back in the game,” A&M coach Kevin Sumlin told ESPN after the game. “I hoped that at this point he’d have learned something.”
Manziel finished 6-of-8 with three touchdowns and 94 yards. He ran for another 19 yards.