Charles Barkley, immune to the irony, is now chastising Johnny Football for his lifestyle choices.
The former NBA superstar – who says whatever pops into his head and has landed in his share of trouble on and off the court – thinks Johnny Manziel is too “immature” to handle his celebrity.
“You should never take selfies of yourself doing anything that can be considered stupid,” Barkley told the Bull and Fox Show on WKRK-FM in Cleveland. “And that’s probably the only problem I have with Johnny Manziel. Most of his pictures are selfies, and that tells me he’s just too immature to handle this fame thing right now.”
Barkley joined the growing chorus of former athletes who think Manziel needs to tone down his act, following Cris Carter, Joe Montana, Emmitt Smith and Warren Moon. Since the Browns took the former Texas A&M star quarterback in the first round of the drafts, he’s been chronicled partying every weekend — including last weekend’s dollar-bill-rolling fiasco.
He showed up again Wednesday night at Fenway Park, taking in a Red Sox game with four stunning women, mugging for the cameras.
Johnny Manziel has none of the fun. pic.twitter.com/TDNMD4eSlx
— Will Brinson (@WillBrinson) July 10, 2014
Barkley, now an analyst for TNT, echoed comments made at the NFL rookie symposium by Carter. At that event, Carter let the rookies know: “Everybody is TMZ.” Barkley said he doesn’t let friends take pictures of him and Manziel should follow suit.
“I think he has to be careful. Johnny has to understand, everybody has a cell phone,” Barkley said. “You have to be careful when you’re out in public. The only problem I have with Johnny Manziel is him and his friends are always taking pictures. … Somebody might get [a picture of me], but it won’t be one of my friends. I don’t allow my friends to take pictures when they’re with me.”