HOOVER, Ala. — Since becoming the first freshman to hoist the Heisman Trophy, Johnny Manziel has become a social media storm waiting to happen.
There was the time the Texas A&M quarterback flashed cash at an Oklahoma casino. He met LeBron James, Chris Paul and Mike Trout, and had photographs taken of him partying. Then there were reports he had been kicked out of Manning Passing Academy for showing up late after he allegedly was out — you guessed it — partying.
Manziel met with reporters yesterday at the SEC Media Days, and though he admitted he has made missteps, he won’t be changing who he is.
“I hope people still see that I’m a 20-year-old in college,” Manziel said. “I’m just trying to enjoy my life, and I hope that doesn’t upset too many people. I’m continuing to learn as the days and weeks go on. I’ve made my mistakes and will learn from them and try not to make the same mistakes twice.”
He did address the Manning camp issue, citing a busy schedule in June and July that left him overextended. He did acknowledge he overslept and missed a meeting due to a dead cell phone, but refuted the reports it was because of partying and said his exit was a mutual decision. Manziel also said he wants to attend next year and has been told by the Mannings that he’s welcome back.
“I wasn’t football-ready,” Manziel said. “I was tired. It was exhausting. It had nothing to do with activities the night before. It had nothing to do with anything involving the Manning family. [It was] just a really busy schedule. I probably bit off more than I could chew in that regard.”
He also opened up about the spotlight of being a Heisman winner, and the pressures and expectations that have come with it.
“I knew the spotlight was bright,” he said. “I knew all my actions were being watched, but lately it’s just been magnified. It is what it is and I’ll continue to adapt in my life and continue to learn.”“Hopefully they’ll accept me for me and that will be good enough,” he said
Aggies coach Kevin Sumlin said Manziel’s freshman season and the awards he won spoke to what he has meant to the program as a player. But it’s in those other areas where Manziel has to mature.
“I think off the field, there’s no question he has made some mistakes,” he said. “I think today will be a great experience for him and for a lot of other people because he has made mistakes. … He’s done some things he’s not proud of.”
Manziel hasn’t tweeted since June 15, when he wrote “Great day of bay fishing with great teammates joecheek79 #Jake&Mike.” His use of the platform has been a topic of conversation between coach and player, though Sumlin did not make it clear if he specifically asked Manziel to stop tweeting.
“He hasn’t been on there for the last month,” Sumlin said smiling. “So obviously there was something to that discussion.”
“I guess I just haven’t had anything interesting to say,” Manziel said. “Twitter is what it is. I learned a lot from it and hurt myself probably a little bit at times, but Twitter is Twitter at the end of the day.”
Whether you believe he’s a college kid simply acting like a college kid or someone struggling to deal with his new-found fame, it’s undeniable that like stars of college football past, he’s indicative of his time.
Many years ago, with the United States facing war, Army Heisman winners Doc Blanchard and Glenn Davis became icons, appearing on the covers of Time and Life magazines. They filled a role and were a distraction for fellow servicemen and a nation.
Manziel is now filling a role of his own: fodder for a 24/7 news cycle that peers at its subjects through an intense microscope. He’s Amanda Bynes in shoulder pads, Justin Bieber running a read-option and we can’t get enough. But as much attention as he’s generated after a season in which he set the SEC’s single-season yardage record, Manziel said it won’t impact his play.
“My offseason, all the stuff that has gone on, will have no effect coming into the season,” he said. “Last year, still going to games, still having a lot of fun and it didn’t really factor in. … I guarantee you all when it’s football time, I will be absolutely 115 percent ready to go.”
Johnny Football is making no excuses for his being Johnny Football — and all that has come with it. He talked about meeting Drake and LeBron, whom he texts with, and enjoying the celebrity that has come with being a Heisman winner.
He is college football’s biggest star since former Florida quarterback and Heisman winner Tim Tebow. But Manziel, the first freshman to win the award, said he’s different than Tebow, the first sophomore to win it.
“I’m not Tim Tebow,” he said. “I’m different in many ways.”
That’s why we can’t stop watching the Johnny Football Show. He’s honest. He’s flawed. He’s just a college kid and he’s reveling in it.