Manziel vows he’s serious about latest comeback
Ex-A&M star says he ‘self-medicated with alcohol’ in past
COLLEGE STATION — When star quarterback Johnny Manziel met John David Crow in December 2012 in an empty Kyle Field thanks to a newspaper photo shoot, Crow imparted wisdom gleaned from more than 50 years as a Heisman Trophy winner from Texas A&M.
“Don’t get too busy, remember your friends, and I’m going to tell you what your dad has probably told you,” Crow said to that year’s Heisman winner. “Don’t forget how you got here.”
Manziel dutifully responded, “Yes, sir,” and then spent the next few years forgetting much of what got him there. A&M’s favorite prodigal son, two years removed from football, admitted as much this week in an interview with “Good Morning America” and in another, more extensive visit on a Barstool Sports podcast.
Manziel, 25, had for the most part been quiet much of the past year while living in Los Angeles, but he has released a clothing line dubbed ComebackSZN (Comeback Season for the hipchallenged) and is back in the spotlight in doing so. Manziel told “Good Morning America”
he was taking medication for bipolar disorder.
“Going back through the last couple of years of my life, I was self-medicating with alcohol,” Manziel said. “… You wake up the next day and that all is gone, that liquid courage or that liquid-like sense of euphoria that is over you, is all gone. You are left staring at the ceiling by yourself … thinking about all the mistakes you made in your life. What did that get me?
“Where did that get me except out of the NFL? Where did that get me? Disgraced?”
Manziel vowed he’s passionate about returning to football, considering he hasn’t played since he was released two years ago following two maddening seasons with the Cleveland Browns, when he blew his golden opportunity by mainly partying too much.
Rooting for success
Plenty of people are rooting for him to succeed, especially in College Station, where he returned this past weekend to sell his new merchandise at the texags.com headquarters across from campus, visit with old friends and attend A&M’s basketball win over Kentucky on Saturday night in Reed Arena.
He wiped away a tear when introduced late in the first half to a rowdy ovation, as fans roared for the most breathtaking, celebrated player to ever suit up for the Aggies in any sport.
Plenty of his longtime observers, too, know that Manziel is nearly as crafty with prose as he was in eluding defenders aiming to squish him over his two seasons with the Aggies in 2012 and 2013. That’s why they’re still on “I’ll believe it when I see it” mode concerning his sincerity, considering they’ve heard multiple mea culpas from the gifted young man over the years.
As one longtime A&M insider said Monday with eyebrow raised: “Just show us your comeback on the field, Johnny.”
One difference between now and then: his revelation of bipolar disorder and depression. Manziel had never gone so far in previous assurances that later fell flat, prompting an outpouring of support nationally for him Monday.
Another red flag, too, over the weekend, outside of all of his sudden chattiness coinciding with the release of his clothing line: One of the hooded members of Manziel’s entourage in College Station is a Los Angeles-based musician dubbed Mike Stud, whose music glorifies narcotics and whose lyrics are filled with raunchiness and racism.
Stud leaves no doubt he loves to party, and that’s his right. It’s also a sign that perhaps Manziel, raised in a wealthy family in Tyler and then Kerrville, still might not quite get it in terms of who he surrounds himself with while chatting up an oddsbeating comeback.
Manzie is engaged to Instagram model Bre Tiesi, and from most accounts she’s been good for his alleged revival, as one who apparently isn’t much for shenanigans.
Manziel had been partying hard since high school, one of the big reasons the Browns finally released him two years ago, after all of his raving impacted his job as an NFL quarterback on multiple occasions.
One thing is clear in the past couple of days: People love a comeback story, and in this case, those people in particular are Aggies. A&M finished 11-2 in 2012 in its first season in the Southeastern Conference and Manziel became the first freshman to win the Heisman. He was a human highlight reel in earning A&M more attention than it’s ever received, and people haven’t forgotten.
Various party pictures over the past couple of years occasionally showed a withering, shriveling Manziel, and it was apparent that narcotics were taking their toll. He even dubbed it being “lost in the sauce” on Twitter a year ago while vowing to get things together.
Looking better
These days he swears he’s not drinking, and although he’s not back to his physical fitness of his A&M and NFL days, he’s looking healthier than he has in a while.
Bottom line is Manziel, small for an NFL quarterback at 6 foot and 210 pounds, needed every fast-twitch muscle fiber in his body and a brutal determination to succeed in the pros, and he didn’t have anywhere close to the latter in his first chance. Will he earn another shot?
The partying might have taken a toll on his body and persona to the point of no return concerning football, but the most important thing here is a life well-lived moving forward. Only time will tell as Manziel tries remembering exactly how he got here.