Texas A&M is going to miss Johnny Manziel now that the former Heisman Trophy winner has left school for the NFL. But one thing they won’t miss is all the attention he attracted.
Aggies head coach Kevin Sumlin was asked a few questions about Manziel during his press conference at SEC Media Day Tuesday and quickly got sick of hearing about his former player.
“Obviously there was a lot of attention on Johnny Manziel. How are things different with him gone on the field and off the field?” Sumlin was asked.
As you can see around the 4:45 mark in the video, Sumlin didn’t give much of an answer.
“How much will the offense miss Johnny Manziel this year? Do you expect the offense to roll on as it’s done without him?” he was asked (7:25 mark in the video).
“Why would I expect it not to? Our expectations are to move the football, score and win.”
Sumlin was also asked, “What is it like not coaching Johnny Manziel?”
His response was funny.
“Let me get this straight: your question is what’s it like not coaching Johnny Manziel?”
He laughed at that question and gave the differences between the NFL and college ball. But after another about Johnny Football — this one about the alleged cocaine pictures — Sumlin decided he’d had enough.
“Ever since the party photos of Johnny emerged, have you had a chance to visit him and, if so, what have you shared with him? What advice have you given him?” Sumlin was asked.
“Is this the SEC Media Days? No, that’s a great question about the Cleveland Browns. Anybody else got something?”
Can you really blame Sumlin for getting frustrated with the questions? Texas A&M was practically encouraging Manziel to leave for the NFL because they felt like they could no longer handle him. He had outgrown college football. And you can tell Sumlin will be relieved when he doesn’t have to answer those questions anymore. But if his team struggles, you can bet he’ll wish he still had Manziel at quarterback.
