Johnny Football and his Problems

Johnny Manziel has had his fair share of problems this summer, many of which have hurt his image with the media and fans. Whether it be his late night escapades drinking beer and eating skittles, or his autograph scandal, which yielded him a half game suspension in the first game of the year.  This suspension was Manziel’s only punishment because he really hasn’t broken any rules according to the NCAA or at least that they can prove. However, I do use the term punishment lightly, because a half game suspension in the first game of a major college football team’s schedule is equitable to getting a warning from a speeding violation.

So, how can Manziel improve this bad boy image with the media and fans? Well he has already improved his reputation the best way possible in a sports controversial situation, winning. By crushing the first two teams on the schedule, and putting up gaudy stats in the process, Manziel has shifted the focus of the general public from his off the field behavior to his on the field brilliance. Any player will improve his or her image if they produce on the field of play. Also, the biggest game of week three and possibly of the year put him in great position to improve the public opinion of him.

 Texas A&M played unbeaten and defending champion Alabama. Johnny Manziel used this game to the best he could in two ways. The first is the obvious on the field play, which exemplified all of Johnny’s great talent. However this was not the only thing that gave him points with the media. His off the field leaderships on the bench during the fourth quarter when A&M was mounting there comeback was impeccable. Most of the time when the camera flashed to the sidelines Johnny was either pumping up his offense or congratulating the defense on their tough play. This show of leadership was even mentioned by the commentators calling the game. It is shows of maturity like this that will propel Manziel back into the public’s good graces.