Former NFL star Johnny Manziel has broken his silence after skipping his planned College GameDay appearance.
“I will have plenty more to say about what transpired yesterday,” Manziel, 33, wrote in a Sunday, December 21, statement shared via his Instagram Stories. “There is almost nothing on this earth that would have made me miss that game.”
Manziel, who previously played football for Texas A&M, was scheduled to appear as the guest celebrity picker on ESPN’s College GameDay on Saturday, December 20, during his alma mater’s playoff matchup against the University of Miami. At the last minute, NBA champion Alex Caruso appeared in Manziel’s place.
Without addressing the last-minute change, cohost Pat McAfee praised fellow Texas A&M alum Caruso, 31, for “stepping up.”
Johnny Manziel was replaced as ESPN’s College GameDay celebrity guest picker in an apparent last-minute switch. Ahead of the Texas A&M vs. Miami College Football Playoff matchup on Saturday, December 20, Manziel was abruptly replaced on the show by Alex Caruso, a two-time NBA champion who played basketball at Texas A&M. Manziel — the former […]
“To all the people that genuinely reached out and checked in on me, I cannot think you enough,” Manziel wrote on Sunday, before directly addressing the College GameDay crew. “To ESPN, Pat, Coach, Desmond and the entire crew on GameDay, I apologize. It was out of my control.”
He continued, “To the Aggies and A&M fanbase, I’m sorry. I will continue to let everyone out there run with a fake narrative, and at the end of the day, perception always wins over reality.”
Manziel did not explain the circumstances that led to his onscreen absence.
“I love all of you who genuinely support me through good and bad, like you have all done for years,” he stated. “I have no doubt Texas A&M and the Aggie football program will be in that position again. I’m recovering [now] and feeling about a 3/10.”
Manziel further noted that he planned to “rest up and try to get back to normal.”
Texas A&M lost to Miami 3-10 on Saturday, leading several fans to blame Manziel’s absence as the reason the football team couldn’t secure a win.
“Johnny. You actually can’t make this s*** up. Grow the f*** up and show up for s*** that matters, you F***ING CLOWN,” one social media user sent Manziel in a DM, which the former athlete reshared via his Instagram Stories earlier on Sunday. “God, you have embarrassed our whole fanbase before our team even stepped foot on the field.”
The individual continued, “You are such an embarrassment and are the reason we lost.”
The former Heisman Trophy winner also shared another fan message, where the social media user also claimed Manziel was to blame for the loss.
“This is your fault,” the Instagram user wrote. “How the f*** can you not make it to A&M for a f***in playoff game.”
Johnny Manziel and Josie Canseco have reportedly broken up after less than a year together. Canseco, 28, is the one who ended it with the controversial former Texas A&M quarterback, according to TMZ Sports, which was first to report the split. There is reportedly no bad blood between them and “the two sides still have […]
A third, meanwhile, implored Manziel to never “talk about [their] amazing university ever again.”
“You are a disgrace to it and don’t have a single core value that we live by,” the user penned. “You need help. Please disassociate with us until you change.”
Manziel was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in 2014 before being released the next year following a string of personal issues, including mental health struggles and substance abuse.
“After I got my most success and won the Heisman Trophy as a freshman, I think I just got treated differently,” Manziel recalled on a September episode of Special Forces, detailing his NFL history. “I lost a huge part of my work ethic [and] I gave up on a real opportunity, a football career, and walked away from it pretty quick.”
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