Wednesday was Johnny Manziel's moment in the spotlight. After a roller coaster offseason that did not exactly shine the brightest light on the Heisman Trophy winner, the quarterback had his chance to explain every news story and rumor about him. The media swarmed Manziel probing on everything from his controversial departure at the Manning Passing Academy to Tim Tebow comparisons.
Manziel first set the record straight after being asked to leave the annual football camp early for supposedly being drunk. Manziel showed up to practice late, leaving camp officials to dismiss him. The Texas A&M quarterback simply said that he was not hung over, but just missed his alarm clock.
The quarterback admits that he threw himself into the fire for national criticism and took the time to apologize to the Texas A&M coaching staff for the entire incident. That was just one of many offseason issues for Manziel. He has been forced to plead guilty on misdemeanor fake I.D. charges and had issues with comments made on social media.
"I feel like I am on a little bit higher pedestal than most people in college football. But at the same time, I'm still 20 years old, I'm still a sophomore in college. I' m still going to do things that everyone in college does and continue to live my life," Manziel said.
The quarterback notes that one of the highlights of his summer was sitting down with NBA MVP LeBron James to discuss all things sports and fame. He credits the NBA All-Star as his favorite athlete and enjoyed the chance to pick his brain and have a conversation, mention that James get put under scrutiny just like he does. Another quarterback Manziel reached out to was former Auburn star Cam Newton who went through the same quick rise in fame.
"He was here for one year. He was at the top of the world. I remember watching and it was Cam-Cam-Cam...the SEC was Cam's that year," Manziel said. "I've talked to him a couple times just because of his relationship with Coach Whitfield. A guy that I absolutely admire."
Manziel has garnered plenty comparisons to Newton as well as another former SEC great, Tim Tebow. Manziel did note that he has talked to the now New England Patriots quarterback and looks towards his success as something to strive for. At the same time, Manziel hates being compared to quarterback.
"I'm not Tebow. I'm different in many ways. Hopefully they accept me for me and that'll be good enough."
As far as college quarterbacks go, Manziel is at the top and he certainly knows it. If the Texas A&M leader has another strong season, he can expect to be just like Newton again, the No. 1 overall draft pick.
