Poor Johnny Football
ESPN The Magazine shadowed Johnny Manziel and his family, Texas oil heirs, on a trip back home. The Manziels are not happy with the TMZ-style coverage, and direct some of their blame on Texas A&M. Among their grievances: they don’t like how coach Kevin Sumlin got a $1M raise after last season, they don’t believe A&M is defending him against his detractors, and they also believe police in College Station are harassing him. It also reveals his family regularly has items for him to sign, and they’ve hired bodyguards for him for when he’s out. His family and A&M did get him to a therapist, but after the therapist told him to quit Twitter and limit his family’s autographs, he stopped after two sessions.
Then his father Paul made this comment:
Both his parents believe he won’t return for another season in College Station, and until he leaves, they can give love and support and pray that Johnny Football doesn’t completely devour Johnathan Manziel.
“Yeah,” Paul says one evening, driving in his car, “it could come unraveled. And when it does, it’s gonna be bad. Real bad.”
He imagines a late-night call, and the cable news ticker, and the next morning’s headlines.
“It’s one night away from the phone ringing,” he says, “and he’s in jail. And you know what he’s gonna say? ‘It’s better than all the pressure I’ve been under. This is better than that.'”
Read more at ESPN.com.
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