Johnny Manziel

Johnny Manziel, who became the first freshman to win the Heisman Trophy in 2012 at Texas A&M, said Monday that he's happy college athletes can now benefit from their name, image and likeness (NIL) rights.

Manziel told Don Williams of the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal that he thinks there was a "huge opportunity to make a lot of money" during his time at a high-profile college football program, and he believes the new laws being implemented around the country will benefit a lot of players:

I still think that goes for college guys moving forward. I think that'll be a very, very profitable thing, that guys will get approached by people—which happens already, regardless of what's recently been ruled.

But I think it's good to put some money in these guys' pockets. It's no fun when you're on a $600 stipend check every month and sometimes getting through the month struggling to get by on a couple ... maybe 100 bucks. So it's trending in the right direction, I'm glad that it happened and I'm glad that it's gotten to this point from where it was.

In June, Manziel confirmed on Barstool Sports' Bussin' With The Boys podcast (via Sporting News' Zac Al-Khateeb) he accepted around $33,000 to sign autographs after winning the Heisman at A&M:

"This guy comes up behind me and was like, 'Yo, how would you want to make three grand?' I turn around, I'm like, 'F--k yeah, bro.' I got like 65 bucks in my bank account. I'm waiting on that beginning of the month January stipend check," he said. "So I take this guy's number down, we're doing it all sneaky, we don't want to get caught. We're trying to to learn from everybody else who got caught."

He added on the Barstool podcast that another person told him he was being lowballed by the $3,000 deal and proposed an additional $30,000 to sign more items, which he also accepted.

The 28-year-old Texas native enjoyed a standout collegiate career, but it never translated to professional success either in the NFL or his other stops, including the CFL.

Manziel told Williams it would have been "great" to maximize his NIL rights when he was in college, but added he's "happy as I've ever been" and not worried about the lost financial opportunities. He's more happy about how the situation will benefit players who follow in his footsteps:

So is it a very good thing and a blessing for most of the guys who come in? Absolutely. Nobody's arguing that. What's wrong with more? For guys who bring a lot to campuses and guys who bring a lot to the university itself.

I feel like I made a forever-lasting impact on Texas A&M. I feel like you could say the same thing about Reggie Bush or Vince Young or a ton of guys down the line. [Texas Tech's] Graham Harrell, Michael Crabtree, you think those guys wouldn't have made some money back in their day, too?

There's guys out there who move the needle, who do special things, who are going to have a chance to capitalize on it monetarily-wise.

The former Cleveland Browns signal-caller concluded the situation will "change the landscape" and he's interested to see how the NCAA will respond as deals are made.

Meanwhile, Manziel has continued his football career at the sport's lower levels, most recently playing for the Zappers in the Fan Controlled Football league.

Johnny Manziel offered some advice for college athletes Thursday in the wake of the NCAA finally allowing those athletes to profit off their name, image and likeness.

Manziel is one of the players who would have dramatically benefited from having his NIL rights in college, when he became a phenomenon as Johnny Football during his Heisman days at Texas A&M.

He even applied to have "Johnny Football" trademarked in 2013 (a Texas A&M booster had beaten him to the punch but gave up the rights when he learned the quarterback wanted them), so he knows a thing or two about the value of marketing yourself. 

So many collegiate athletes who came before Manziel—Michigan's Fab Five, Tim Tebow, Reggie Bush, etc.—would have profited off NIL rights in the past. At least student-athletes are now entitled to it, and they'd be wise to consider Manziel's words of wisdom. 

Johnny Manziel admitted to making at least $33,000 for signing autographs during his time at Texas A&M in a recent interview with Barstool Sports.

The 2012 Heisman winner admitted to being paid for two different autograph sessions, one that paid him $3,000 and another where he earned $30,000.

"So, this guy's pretty much, 'All right, go to this room at the Fontainebleau. All this stuff will be in there laid out. When you're done, just send me a picture of all of it. I'll give you the code to the safe, the money will be in there,'" Manziel told the Bussin' With the Boys podcast.

The NCAA investigated Manziel over claims he received money for autographs in 2013 but found no evidence. Texas A&M and the NCAA agreed to suspend him for one half of a game for using his likeness for commercial purposes.

Manziel said he continued to sign autographs for money throughout 2013, which would have led to him being ineligible. 

"We went 9-4 the next year, so if the NCAA wants to take my f--king 9-4 season away, my Chick-Fil-A Bowl against Duke, f--king blow me," Manziel said. "I never took a dollar until after I won the Heisman, and I think my statute of limitations are up. So, you can blow me again."

Of course, the attitudes regarding collegiate players receiving money for use of their name and likeness have shifted over the last eight years. The NCAA is preparing to adopt an NIL rule that will allow players to make money for the first time this year. 

It's possible, if not likely, that Manziel could have been a multimillionaire by the time he left Texas A&M under the new proposals. He was the first freshman in NCAA history to win the Heisman trophy and one of the most famous athletes on the planet in 2012 and 2013; the money he could have ranked in on endorsement deals would have been staggering.

So it's of little surprise that Manziel regrets nothing about making a few thousand dollars here or there for signing his name. 

Johnny Manziel doesn't have any plans to resume a professional football career.

Speaking to the SEC Network during Texas A&M's spring game Saturday (h/t Connor O'Gara of Saturday Down South), Manziel said "football is in the rearview mirror for me."

Manziel has not officially filed retirement paperwork with the NFL, but he's been consistent in saying that a comeback attempt likely isn't in the cards for him.

"In the past, probably, is the way I'd characterize it," Manziel told the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal in June 2020 when asked about his football career (h/t Sports Illustrated's Jenna West). "I've finally got to a point where I'm trying to achieve happiness in life, not happiness on the football field."

Even though Manziel doesn't appear anxious to resume a full-time football career, he hasn't completely stayed away from the game. The 2012 Heisman Trophy winner played 11 games for the Montreal Alouettes in the CFL during the 2018 season.

Manziel appeared in two games for the Memphis Express in the Alliance of American Football in March 2019. The 28-year-old played in three games with the Zappers of the Fan Controlled Football league during its debut season in February.

After two successful years as the starting quarterback at Texas A&M, Manziel declared for the 2014 NFL draft. He was selected No. 22 overall by the Cleveland Browns but appeared in just 15 games over two seasons before being released in March 2016.

Johnny Manziel believes his arrest prior to the start of the 2012 season helped him win the Heisman Trophy that year. 

In the first episode of his Ball Don't Lie podcast (h/t TMZ Sports), Manziel explained why his June 2012 arrest impacted his redshirt freshman year at Texas A&M:

"In 11 days, I won the (starting) job doing these sprints, doing the whole thing. At the end of the year, I rushed for 1,500 yards. I outrushed Todd Gurley in the SEC. Nuts. My redshirt freshman year, the year I won the Heisman.

"I believe all that was directly correlated to me running those sprints at the beginning of the year and being in the dumbest shape on the team. ... Without a doubt. I got punished and I won a Heisman for it. It's crazy. The bad doesn't always turn out so bad down the line."

Going into the 2012 season, Manziel was one of the quarterbacks vying to replace Ryan Tannehill as the Aggies starting quarterback. Tannehill was a first-round pick by the Miami Dolphins after two years of running Texas A&M's offense. 

In June 2012, Manziel was arrested and jailed for getting into a fight and having a fake ID card. He was charged with three misdemeanors, including disorderly conduct, failure to identity and possessing a false identification card. 

Manziel reached a plea deal in July 2013 in which he pleaded guilty to failing to identify himself. He received a $2,000 fine and had to pay court costs but had his other two charges dropped. 

Head coach Kevin Sumlin named Manziel his starting quarterback for the 2012 season. The freshman led the Aggies to an 11-2 record and became the second player in school history to win the Heisman after throwing for 3,706 yards, running for 1,410 yards and accounting for 47 touchdowns. 

The Glacier Boyz and Wild Aces advanced to the Fan Controlled Football championship game in improbable fashion Saturday night, taking down two favorites in the semifinals.

Zappers quarterback Johnny Manziel suffered an undisclosed injury in the first half of a 32-6 loss to the Wild Aces. Despite the talent of Josh Gordon and quarterback Logan Marchi, the Zappers struggled to put points on the board.

It was an equally rough night for the top-seeded team in Fan Controlled Football. The Beasts had been the most electric team all year, going 3-1 this season until suffering a stunning upset to the last-place Glacier Boyz, 38-20, on Saturday.

The Beasts and Zappers will now face off in a third-place game next Saturday ahead of The People's Championship between the Wild Aces and Glacier Boyz.

The Wild Aces took a 16-0 lead into halftime as Manziel looked a bit rusty after missing the last two weeks following dental surgery and Marchi made some uncharacteristic mistakes.

None was bigger than a pick-six Marchi tossed with only seconds remaining in the first half, forcing a Zappers team already known for its passing game to shorten its playbook even more in the final frame. After the Wild Aces scored on the opening possession after intermission, the Zappers put Braden Smith in at quarterback down 24-0 only for him to take a crushing sack on his first snap before the team got stopped at the goal line a few plays later.

The Wild Aces took off on a 48-yard touchdown run on their first play after the goal-line stand to go up 32-0 and all but solidify their spot in the title game. The only bright spot for the Zappers proved to be a last-second touchdown pass from Marchi to Gordon to avoid the shutout.

It was a similarly shocking result in the first game of the night, too.

The Beasts' QB duo of TJ Edwards and Quinton Flowers finally proved fallible with the season on the line after scoring in bunches over the past four weeks. The 20 points tallied Saturday was the fewest they scored all year. The 38 allowed was the second-most the Beasts gave up all season.

Led by former Florida State star Deondre Francois, the Glacier Boyz booked themselves a trip to The People's Championship. Like everything else in FCF, fans voted on what to name the league's title game.

The Glazier Boyz opened up a 14-6 lead at halftime and poured on the points late in the second half to stun the Beasts. After the Beasts tied it up 14 minutes into the final frame, the Glacier Boyz again took control with Francios darting into the end zone to seal the win with 23 seconds left.

It's by far the biggest upset of the season in the FCF, and the Glacier Boyz couldn't wait to gloat over it.

They'll now have to sustain that momentum next week against another underdog team trying to capture the title.

Josh Gordon's arrival in the Fan Controlled Football league spelled the end of an undefeated season for the previously untamed Beasts.

The newest member of the Zappers hauled in a 30-yard Hail Mary touchdown pass as time expired to give his team a 32-26 victory over the Beasts as both Week 4 and the FCF regular season came to a close.

Gordon finished his debut with four catches for 70 yards with two touchdowns and a two-point conversion in an electric performance.

Even with Zappers quarterback Johnny Manziel sitting out a second consecutive week following dental surgery, Gordon would not be denied the game-winning score. With two seconds on the clock, Braden Smith tossed up a jump ball that Gordon initially bobbled as two Beasts defenders were draped all over him. Gordon just wouldn't be denied.

Three weeks after the Zappers (2-2) fell to the Beasts (3-1), 48-44, Gordon made sure his teammates got their revenge.

With Logan Marchi and Smith taking turns under center, the Zappers opened up a 6-0 lead as Gordon scored the first touchdown on his second target of the game. Beasts quarterback Quinton Flowers wasted little time evening things up, tossing a 40-yard touchdown to Troy Evans on the Beasts' first offensive snap.

That gave way to a consistent back-and-forth in the first half with both teams scoring on each of their possessions in the first 20 minutes. A pass from Smith to Travis Toivonen with 11 seconds left in the first frame gave the Zappers an 18-12 lead heading into the break.

Both clubs seemed to settle down a bit in the second half. After scoring five touchdowns combined in the first half, the final 20 minutes saw the Zappers hang onto the ball for nearly 17 minutes of possession time. If that wasn't troubling enough for the Beasts, an apparent hamstring injury forced Flowers—arguably the FCF MVP through four weeks—to the sideline with the game on the line.

Instead, backup TJ Edwards came on in relief of Flowers after the Beasts picked off Marchi with 3:44 left in regulation and quickly moved his team into the red zone—a bit too quickly.

Tailback Quinn Porter dove into the end zone to tie the game at 26 with 15 seconds remaining—more than enough time for Smith to take a few deep shots before regulation expired. After the first few pass attempts failed, Smith and Gordon finally hooked up for the game-winning touchdown.

Gordon said he came to the FCF to make some plays and have some fun ahead of his debut. He did all that and delivered a victory to the Zappers as they prepare for next week's playoffs.

Former NFL star wide receiver Josh Gordon capped the inaugural Fan Controlled Football regular season with a Hail Mary touchdown catch to guide the Zappers to a 32-26 win over the previously undefeated Beasts on Saturday.

Gordon finished with four catches, 70 yards and two touchdowns in his FCF debut. His presence makes the Zappers a force to be reckoned with in the upcoming playoffs, even if the team finished just 2-2 during the regular season.

Despite the loss, the Beasts finished with an FCF-best 3-1 record to earn first place.

Like many aspects of this league, the postseason format is quite unique. As clarified during the Twitch broadcast, the Beasts will get to choose their semifinal playoff opponent, leaving the other two teams to face off against each other. Semifinal coverage will begin Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET on FCF's Twitch, followed by a championship game the following week.

The Beasts will have the option to choose from the 2-2 Wild Aces, 1-3 Glacier Boyz or Zappers.

On paper, the Glacier Boyz performed the worst, but rosters have been changing before every game as the result of FCF's weekly player drafts.

However, rosters should appear most similar to the Week 4 iterations following the latest draft, with the FCF website explaining the parameters for the postseason: "With Week 4 action scheduled for Saturday night, all players drafted on Wednesday night will remain on their respective teams until the conclusion of the championship slated for Week 6 (players can be added while defense and O-line may be shifted due to playoff seedings)."

Each team also has numerous franchise-tagged players added as the season has gone along. Gordon is one such player on the Zappers, who also have ex-NFL quarterback Johnny Manziel, although he has sat out the last two weeks due to injury.

It's hard to imagine that the Beasts will pick the Zappers after they just took them down. The Zappers look like the team to beat after a resounding victory that included the debut of Gordon, who made a big difference early with a touchdown catch and a two-point conversion later on:

The Zappers also feature Anthony Jones, who added a pair of touchdowns Saturday to the three he had entering the game for five total in four games.

The Beasts aren't slouches either thanks largely to quarterback Quinton Flowers, who has been the league's top player thanks in part to his 11 touchdowns.

However, he missed some time late after suffering an apparent hamstring injury down the stretch. His replacement, TJ Edwards II, did well, however, so the Beasts could be well-set at quarterback either way.

The Beasts will also get a playoff boost with the addition of ex-NFL running back Robert Turbin before the playoffs. They appear to still be a top-two FCF team.

Ultimately, the guess here is a championship rematch of the epic Week 4 matchup, with Gordon once again proving to be the difference to give the Zappers the first-ever FCF championship.

Nearly seven years since Johnny Manziel and Josh Gordon were teammates on the Cleveland Browns, the quarterback-wideout duo reconnected as teammates with the Fan Controlled Football's Zappers on Saturday night. 

Gordon was suspended throughout the 2020 NFL season and was unable to make it back onto the field. The FCF—and Manziel in particular—offered to make his spring feature more snaps than his fall did.

"Johnny hit me up and they told me, 'Do you want to play football right now?'" Gordon said. "It's offseason for NFL, as opposed to sitting in the house this whole time I was like, 'Nah, I want to come out here and make some plays and have some fun.'"

With elite speed, Gordon has long been able to burn defenders anytime he steps onto a field. The FCF may be the first league that changes that. With teams playing on a 50-yard field, there's less room for Gordon to create separation from cornerbacks covering him.

The Zappers begin the playoffs next week, giving Gordon just one week to figure out how to translate his skills to smaller field than he's used to. For a league intent on creating highlights every play, Gordon and Manziel certainly fit in.