Tag Archives: Johnny Football

Manziel vows sobriety … just do it, young man

johnny-manziel

“Johnny Football” Manziel has told TMZ he’s going to be “completely sober” by July 1.

That’s tomorrow.

I want to offer the young man a bit of unsolicited advice.

“Tomorrow” never comes when you place a deadline such as that on yourself.

The one-time Texas A&M University football great and former Heisman Trophy winner has been on a horrendous spiral that has ruined his professional football career.

Worse, it is ruining his life.

I am pulling hard for Manziel to pull his head out of whichever body cavity he has inserted it. I want him to succeed in life. Whether he’s able to regain his athletic form would be an added plus.

However, allow me this one final bit of advice.

I once smoked cigarettes like a freight train. Two-plus packs a day, man. How did I quit the weeds? I wadded them up and tossed them into the garbage.

I quit cold turkey … on the spot. That was more than 36 years ago.

I didn’t wait for “tomorrow.”

One does not put such artificial deadlines on ending bad behavior.

If the young athlete intends to sober up, he’d better just act immediately on his intentions and not wait for the sun to rise the next day.

Too many celebrities have learned in the worst way possible that the sun might not shine.

You go, Cleveland

Cleveland, Ohio — the one-time Rust Belt symbol of urban decay, crime and corruption — suddenly has become the most talked-about city in America.

And for all the right reasons, to boot.

First, the city landed the 2016 Republican National Convention. It’ll take place in the summer, when the weather hopefully is pleasant. Lake Erie will be full of activity. The waterfront will be bustling. Thousands of convention delegates, political activists, media representatives, spectators and vendors will descend on the city, pumping millions of dollars into the local and state economy.

Does it get any better than that?

Well, yes.

Then came news that its Prodigal Son (of sorts) has returned to play professional basketball for the Cleveland Cavaliers. You’ve heard of LeBron James, correct? He’s at this moment the most skilled basketball player on the planet — in many people’s opinion.

He said four years he was “taking my talents to South Beach.” He went to Miami and led the Heat to a couple of NBA titles. Now he’s coming back to his home state; “King James” hails from Akron, just down the road from Cleveland.

It’s great to be in Cleveland these days. No more jokes about Lake Erie catching fire from pollutants.

One more thing: former Texas A&M star Johnny “Football” Manziel is going to play for the Cleveland Browns this fall. That’s not too shabby, either.

Cue up the guitars at the Rock ‘n Roll Museum. The city is ready to dance.

Johnny Football fumbles at key moment

My old friend Tom Taschinger has it exactly correct.

Writing for the Beaumont Enterprise, Taschinger takes dead aim at Johnny “Football” Manziel’s troubles stemming from an autograph signing debacle that well could effectively cost him the rest of his college football career.

http://www.beaumontenterprise.com/opinions/columns/article/THOMAS-TASCHINGER-Manziel-mangles-his-college-4739393.php

The NCAA is looking into whether Manziel took money for signing the autographs. This is not a difficult case to prove or disprove. Either he took the dough or he didn’t. If he did, then Johnny Football is facing a possible season-long suspension by the NCAA.

Can there be any clearer message for the young quarterback, the first freshman in NCAA history to win the Heisman Trophy, that he isn’t supposed to take money for signing his name? If he did, the young Texas A&M quarterback has messed up royally.

Taschinger wrote this: “Manziel apparently signed autographs for memorabilia dealers — dealers! — in six separate sessions last season. We’re talking hours-long sessions and thousands of items. Big money even was said to have changed hands.

“Folks, that’s not a borderline violation. It’s as blatant as a quarterback being leveled by a defender five seconds after releasing the ball. You have to wonder what Johnny Football was thinking while he was grinding out those signatures — and why his parents or a coach didn’t step in and save him.”

I don’t want this story to pan out. It’s looking as though it will. There will be an accounting made of who paid Manziel the money if that’s what comes to pass. If it does, I fear the cheering at Kyle Field this season is going to be a bit muted without Johnny Football taking the snaps.

He would have no one else in the entire world to blame but himself.