By: Stephen Conway
Athletes are looked up to by many people in our society for their talents and the way that they carry themselves. With the ever expanding world of social media it is easy to follow and connect to any athlete we want. Wether you are a sports analyst or a fan you can stay on top of any athlete you have interest in; because of this we see the good and the bad that formulates from each athlete we follow. The media that surrounds these competitors is always looking for the next big story that will spark interest to the public whether it is something notable from there performance on the field or something interesting in there personal lives. Today there seems like there is no line between an athletes personal life and there professional life, where do we draw the line?
College football is the most watched sport out of any collegiate level sport there is, so these players are constantly in the spotlight. Though not all collegiate football players receive the same amount of attention due to how they perform on the field. The players that stand out from the rest are the ones who make big plays and have the stats to prove it. These impact players are being watched by everyone including NFL scouts for a potential chance to pursue a career in the NFL. In 2013 The NFL implemented the "Three-Year Rule" that requires a college football player to complete three years of college eligibility before entering into the professional level; which means that these players who are gifted enough to compete at the professional level could be making six figures before they even graduate. The many athletes who choose to go this route before they graduate are thrown into stardom directly after the draft. Other big time players like Heisman recipients are already stars before they even touch a NFL field which attracts attention from everyone. These athletes are being being thrown into the world of fame faster than ever before. This intense spotlight is making players grow into adulthood at a very fast pace and many of these athletes are still young men that have a lot to learn about life and decision making. So ask yourself what would you do if you were a 21 year old that was given a bigger salary than 90% of people in the country?
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| The Money Sign, Manziel's signature move Photo: (Time Magazine) |
One of the most talked about athletes since the 2014 NFL draft is Johnny Manziel. Johnny Manziel is a perfect example of getting big in a small amount of time. As the quarterback for Texas A&M he broke many records and won the Heisman trophy in only his first year of playing, being the first Redshirt freshman in history to do so. You can only imagine the attention and hype that was surrounding this young man. Everyone knew that this kid was going to be big and the nickname of "Johnny Football" was born. With Johnny Manziel going into his Redshirt Sophomore year the Texas A&M football team was expected to raise the bar even more although they had lost a couple key wide receivers. As the season progressed Johnny was producing similar numbers from his previous year and continued to produce wins.
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| Manziel scrambles to find open Receiver Photo: (Jason Miller) |
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| Not a bright future in Cleveland Photo: (John Medley) |
After the end of the season Johnny decided to enter the draft. In 2014, with the 22nd overall pick the Cleveland Browns drafted Johnny Manziel. After the draft it was not uncommon to see Johnny at Cleveland Cavaliers games and or out and about with other famed celebrities. Hopes in Cleveland for Johnny to save their team were high and talk about Manziel being the starter for The Browns were floating around. Johnny got his first chance in a preseason game where he showed a glimpse of what he can do in the NFL. The next preseason game Johnny showed his immature side when he let Washington's crowd got into his head then Manziel proceeded to 'flip' off the crowd and he was fined $12,000 by the NFL. This incident seemed to sideline Manziel throughout the season while Brian Hoyer took the helm of the offense. Manziel's work ethic was questioned during his rookie season after he felt that he was the better candidate for the starting job. Overall a uneventful year for the highly sought after Johnny Football. Johnny started off his second year in NFL in the first game of the season when starting quarterback Josh McCown went down with an injury, he had noticeable improvements in his play from the year before. Manziel started the second game where he lead the team to a win over the Titans, despite the win Johnny would not play again till week 7. More rumors arose that Manziel was late to meetings and missed practices showed that he was not happy with the coaching decisions. Manziel made his second start in week 9 and was named the starter for the rest of the year, but shortly after this decision was reconsidered after a video of Johnny partying in Texas arose in social media over a bye week. Johnny finished the regular season with only one more appearance in the second to last game where he beat San Francisco. Talk of the future of Manziel in Cleveland wasn't looking to good after the season meanwhile Manziel's partying didn't seem to slow down. On January 30, 2016 the police received a assault complaint where Johnny was the suspect. The report said that Johnny supposedly struck his girlfriend multiple times and said "shut up or I'll kill us both" to her. Authorities are still under investigation into the involvement of Manziel. Cleveland owner Jimmy Hallam's relationship with Johnny seems to be unfixable at this point. Also rumors of Johnny showing up drunk to practice were covered up by the Browns to protect their player but after this it is hard to see if any NFL team will take a chance on Manziel. Manziel has refused to enter rehab twice in the last two weeks and Johnny's father doesn't think he will make it to his 24th birthday if he does not seek help.Johnny Manziel is clear evidence of how the limelight can make people stray off the path when exposed to temptations and large amounts of money at a young age.The once great Johnny Manziel seems to be nonexistent, you can only guess why someone so young and talented can already be washed up. This story seems all to familiar for Charlie Sheen, who even reached out to Manziel stating "it's time 2 refocus all of your energy on health & Football! it's never 2 late 2 get a fresh start!." Is Johnny Manziel the victim of a kid growing up too fast or is he going to continue on this path to being the next Charlie?
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