Johnny Manziel was one of the most popular college football players of his era. He threw for 7,820 yards in his two years as the starting quarterback at Texas A&M. He was named the Heisman Trophy winner in 2012, becoming the first freshman to win the distinction.
Manziel became a household name and brought unprecedented attention and revenue to Texas A&M, but his rise to stardom was also fraught with controversy. He got caught the NCAAs in the crosshairs when an investigation targeted Manziel’s possible autograph project. His childhood friend, Nate Fitch, was considered the mastermind behind the autograph-for-cash business.
Given Manziel’s history with the NCAA, it wasn’t entirely surprising that he shared a rather ominous prediction about the organization’s future.
“Fk the NCAA,” Manziel said during a recent appearance on the Action Network Podcast “The Favorites”. “They deserve everything that happens to them.”
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“It’s only a matter of time before we see the demise of the NCAA for good,” says former college football star Johnny Manziel. (Photos by Michael Starghill/MLB via Getty Images)
Manziel also suggested he would like to witness what he believes is the eventual “demise of the NCAA.”
“It’s only a matter of time before we see the demise of the NCAA for good,” Manziel said. “I’ll be sitting here with a bucket of popcorn and my Heisman Trophy right next to me, waiting for the day I see that alert.”
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While the advent of name, image and likeness (NIL) has certainly significantly altered the landscape for college athletes, it remains unclear what impact it will ultimately have on the overall structure of the NCAA.
Johnny Manziel watches the first half of a game between the Texas A&M Aggies and the Louisiana Monroe Warhawks at Kyle Field on September 16, 2023 in College Station, Texas. (Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
Manziel raised eyebrows more than a decade ago when he began spending large sums of money on parties with music stars like Drake and NBA greats such as LeBron James. He also built a reputation for crisscrossing the country on private planes.
College athletes were not allowed to profit off their name, image or likeness at the time, which is why the NCAA eventually launched an investigation into a possible Manziel autograph scheme.
In 2021, he told Barstool Sports that someone approached him and offered him the opportunity to make a few thousand dollars.
“We do all this sneakily, we don’t want to get caught, we try to learn from everyone who got caught,” Manziel said. “And I may or may not have gone back to this guy’s apartment and probably signed 10,000 pieces. He gave me three thousand dollars.”
Johnny Manziel of the Zappers throws against the Glacier Boyz during a fan-controlled football game at Infinite Energy Arena on February 20, 2021, in Duluth, Georgia. (Kevin C. Cox/Fan Controlled Football/Getty Images)
Manziel also took aim at the NCAA for its decision to relinquish Reggie Bush’s Heisman Trophy. Earlier this year, Manziel threatened to skip future trophy ceremonies.
“After careful consideration, I will humbly step aside from the Heisman Trophy ceremony until @ReggieBush collects his trophy,” Manziel posted on X on March 2. “It doesn’t fit with my morals and values, he can’t do it.” be on this stage with us every year. Reggie IS the Heisman Trophy. Do the right thing @NCAA, the ball is in your court.
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Manziel landed in 13th place on ESPN “The 75 best quarterbacks of the 2000s.”
THE Cleveland Browns drafted Manziel in the first round, but he caught fire after just two seasons. In the Netflix documentary “Untold: Johnny Football,” Manziel opened up about his struggles with addiction. He said his drug use after his final season in Cleveland caused him to lose 40 pounds over a nine-month period.
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