Johnny Manziel Research Paper

It was Nov. 10, 2012 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. More than 100,000 fans packed Bryant-Denny Stadium waiting to watch their unanimously-ranked No. 1 Crimson Tide annihilate another opponent. After all, the Tide were led by head coach Nick Saban, one of the best in the business, and only one of their wins on their way to a 9-0 record was by less than 19 points.

In come the upstart Aggies from Texas A&M, led by a talented but very young freshman quarterback, who had just begun making noise around the country with his exciting and controversial style. Against Alabama, the freshman led his team to a 20-0 first quarter lead, helping the Aggies hang on to secure a 29-24 victory and hand Alabama its only blemish in the 2012 college football season.

The freshman quarterback’s name was Johnny Manziel. Perhaps you have heard of him? That day in Tuscaloosa was the day the hysteria known as Johnny Football was born, and from it, a shocking loss of control over his own life became apparent.

Sure, you could point to his questionable height, but even at just under six-feet, his skills were similar to Russell Wilson’s, who is having an exceptional start to his NFL career. You could possibly even red flag Manziel’s on-field antics that became topics of controversy in 2013. However, few could have predicted the complete disaster that has become the professional career of Johnny Manziel.

Johnny Football followed the game against Alabama with two more regular season victories and a 41-13 demolition of Oklahoma in the 2013 AT&T Cotton Bowl. He won the Heisman Trophy in 2012, and Texas A&M finished the year ranked 5th in the country (AP poll). Things were looking up for Manziel and the A&M program, as they began preparing for the 2013 season after the Cotton Bowl blowout. However, that is when the first of what has become an alarmingly long laundry list of Manziel Issues cropped