Johnny Manziel And High Standards

[klunderbunker]

So if you watch ESPN this week, you've heard about Johnny Manziel leaving a Manning passing camp due to illness, which may have been due to partying the previous night. Other than that there are a ton of stories about how Manziel is enjoying his celebrity status too much and being seen at all kinds of sporting events and celebrity functions.

Here's what I don't understand: of all these critics, how many of them would have sat at home and read their playbook during the off season and not enjoyed the chances they had? Most of the time Manziel is either at a ball game or seen with some celebrity. Since when is that some unforgivable sin that he should be punished for on national TV?

At the end of the day, Manziel is likely going to take a step down on the football field this coming season because of how great his freshman year was. Unfortunately given the culture we live in today, this is likely to be blamed on his celebrity status and a lack of focus instead of any other factor.

My question: is it fair to blame Manziel, a 20 year old and one of the best college football players in the country, for living his life the way he is or should he be held to a higher standard?

 

[The Crock]

I don't really get why someone in Manziel's position is expected to be the second coming of Mother Teresa either. At the end of the day, he's in a position that very few people will ever be in -- I don't blame him for enjoying himself. This all just stinks of media-driven hyperbole; it's not like ESPN actually knows why Manziel left the Manning camp, they just put a story out there to generate views. That's not to say Manziel hasn't made a few mistakes, but they seem fairly in line with what most 20 year old college students are getting into anyway. It's ridiculous -- let the guy enjoy the fruits of what his on-field accolades earned him, rather than keeping him under the microscope and looking for any minuscule thing to be the next headline.

 

[Megatron]

While it would be great to see Manziel get the same treatment as your typical 20 year old college athlete, facts are that he's NOT like your typical 20 year old college athlete. He won the Heisman as a Freshman, which has never been done. He beat the national champions in their only loss of the season in what was a great game. Fair or not, he's going to be held to a different standard for already reaching what some would say is the pinnacle of NCAA with the Heisman.

While you'd like to see everyone treated differently, Manziel has to realize who he is and if he enjoys hanging out with celebrities and going to big events, he should be prepared for the backlash that comes with it. He's not the first young athlete to be put under a microscope (Tebow, LeBron in HS), and he certainly won't be the last.

 

[The Butcher]

Megatron hit the nail on the head, and it's also worth pointing out that a lot of his behavior draws/has drawn attention because of possible NCAA rules violations. He's walking a thin line, and one misstep could land him and Texas A&M in very hot water.

 

[Big Sexy]

Whether it's fair or not is 100% irrelevant. He is a Heisman winning quarterback at a major University, the spotlight is going to be on everything he does with extra focus on the negatives. Being in the limelight has its negatives but the positive far outweigh those. Manziel can consider this training for the NFL because if he is lucky enough to stay healthy and have an NFL career then he is going to have that exact same spotlight only 100x brighter and the scrutiny is only going to increase when he is a paid professional.

 

[George Steele's Barber]

Lots of talented athletes act inappropriate in college and get in trouble but still go on to be successful professional athletes and model citizens. It's part of being young. Take Aaron Hernandez for example, no, what, he did what?

I sort of feel bad for this guy but not really. He just needs to live a tough lifestyle for a young guy with the world trying to give him a reach around. Make it through the next couple of years without upsetting the people who hold his fate in his hands and he can be a rich, famous, powerful man. Keep pushing acceptable boundaries and he is putting a longer term future of celebrity at risk. Then again someone like Dan Marino had a similar rep and he came back just fine.

 

[Davi323]

Yes, it is fair, at least as far as Johnny Manziel is concerned. The guy is a huge egomaniac with a track record.

Most college quarterbacks aren't out there pimping themselves out to the cameras like they were Joe Namath. Manziel does.

Most college quarterbacks don't tweet how happy they will be when they can escape their college town. Manziel does.

Most college quarterbacks don't shove a grad assistant in a tempter tantrum. Manziel did.

Most college quarterbacks don't have a nickname of "___ Football". Manziel does.

Most college quarterbacks actually take at least a few real, honest to goodness classes. Manziel only takes "online" classes.

The thing is, he is on the path to becoming a straight up egotistical asshat. He is much, much closer to being Ryan Leaf than he is Peyton Manning (ego-wise, not talentwise). That doesn't mean he will definitely end up like Leaf, with an ego writing checks his body can't possibly cash, but he is headed down that road. He is definitely a "me" player rather than a "team" player. I have no problems with the criticism he is receiving. If you act like a douche, people will treat you like a douche. If you act like a humble team player, people notice that too.

 

[Cena's Little Helper]

This is a practical, not an ethical, matter. I can't even think of the last hard-partying college QB that went on to do well in the NFL, but we have plenty of NFL QB busts who loved their social lives just as much as the game: Vince Young, JaMarcus Russell, Mark Sanchez, Matt Leinart, shit, any USC QB not named Carson Palmer. On the other hand, look at three of the QBs who were drafted last year: Andrew Luck, RGIII, and Russell Wilson. What do they have in common? They are all squeaky fucking clean.

If I were an NFL GM, I wouldn't touch Manziel with a ten-foot pole. Based off of this and his huge ego, he has bust written all over him.

 

[One Punch Doug Crashin]

The problem with being a high profile celebrity like Manziel is YES you're GOING to get scruitinized NO MATTER WHAT. But when your the SEC the premier league in college football, you're going to be scrutinized. I wouldn't say he's a bust. He's a development for sure. An NFL GM would have to wait 3-4 years for him to blossom. He's Certinly no Andrew Luck that's for sure. When it comes down to it, he's a 20 year old kid. He'll either learn to shut up, or he won't.

 

[Big Sexy]

Manziel has reached an all new high as it is being reported he went to a frat party at the University of Texas and was basically kicked out. There's also a youtube video showing him leaving the party while obscenities are yelled at him and a can of beer is thrown in his direction. This idiocy goes beyond him "just living his life." It's one thing to be a fucking idiot on your own campus but now he is risking alienating the biggest supporters he has left, the A&M fan base. I get that Manziel was/is a big Texas fan but guess what? They didn't recruit him. He now plays for a school that happens to be one of the biggest rivals of Texas. Why the fuck would you think it's a good idea to go to your rivals campus and try to get fucked up at one of their frat parties? How the fuck did he think that was going to end up? This guy is a great football player but my god he may be the biggest fucking dumbass in all of college sports.

 

[The Butcher]

I can't imagine what made him think that this was a good idea on any level. He should be counting his lucky stars that all he got was shown the door and heckled on the way out. That could've been a lot worse. Also, like Big Sexy said, an Aggie partying (or attempting to party) at the University of Texas definitely runs the risk of alienating his A&M fanbase. Somebody around him, either in his family or his inner circle of peers, needs to level with him and tell him to cut the crap. Going to NBA Finals games is one thing. Doing something as risky as going around a bunch of drunken frat boys from your school's in-state rival is another. He walked into a lion's den there, and is very fortunate that he didn't catch a beating. He'd better play up to last season's level this fall, because that's the only thing that will keep the A&M faithful from completely turning against him.

 

[Big Sexy]

http://espn.go.com/espn/otl/story/_...stigating-johnny-manziel-profiting-autographs

I knew it was only a matter of time until a story like this came out. If this story is true then Manziel is a bigger fucking idiot then I thought. He's starting to get into Maurice Clarrett territory in that regard. What makes this the most alarming is that Manziel isn't some poor kid from a rough upbringing who would need to even think about doing anything like this. His dad bought him a Benz after high school and gave him Miami Heat court side tickets for his birthday. Again it's too early to say the guy is guilty but if he is then this could end his chances at an NFL career.

 

[Con T.]

Let's just get this out of the way; if he gets tagged, and broke a rule, he deserves everything he fucking gets, especially when in his particular case, this is not a guy who needs help.

That said...

The NCAA conducting another of its Capt. Queeg strawberry investigations to see if this kid took a sliver of its billions. It'll be another kangaroo court, one gilded in gold from these kids' unpaid labor, spewing empty lies about amateurism. The NCAA is a vulgar sham and should be replaced. It tacitly condones these schools recruiting academically unqualified students to be used as unpaid labor, then jettisoning them once their four years are done — very likely ill-prepared for the workforce. So don't give me gibberish about the value of their education. They are nothing more then revenue-generating cogs in a multi-billion-dollar money machine for the NCAA and the schools, who have the audacity to spin yarns about "amateurism" while sitting on stacks of cash. The NCAA and Texas A&M had a direct financial benefit from Johnny Manziel's Heisman year in 2012, and now want to make sure he didn't cash in. Yes, if he broke their shitty rules, he should be punished. But this is just more of the shameful bullshit from the college football industrial complex oligarchs.

 

[It's...Baylariat!]

Manziel's heading toward a level of destruction that hasn't been seen in a long, LONG time. The man won the HEISMAN last year and he could potentially be suspended for the season due to his actions, delaying him entering the NFL draft and potentially putting him over the top and causing a major meltdown that could involve anything from drinking and driving to murder.

I'm also appalled that he could possibly think making money from his autograph would be a good idea. He doesn't need money. Why would he do such a thing? Even if the money's going to someone else, it's in HIS name, which makes him responsible.

This kid is the Justin Beiber of sports.