Former Texas A&M quarterback blames Johnny Manziel culture for team’s problems

Former Texas A&M quarterback Kyle Allen blamed the culture partly fostered by Johnny Manziel for his leaving the school.

Allen, who left A&M for Houston with two years of eligibility remaining, told CBS Sports’s Dennis Dodd that he believes there are many issues with the program stemming from Manziel’s time there.

“I think the culture was a big part of it, and I think that stems from Johnny’s era there — the way that they let Johnny and [others] act there,” Allen said. “They do that and still win games because they had Johnny … and five offensive linemen playing in the NFL right now.

“A lot of people were riding off that, ‘I can do whatever the hell I want and win on Saturday.'”

Manziel, who won the Heisman Trophy in 2012 as a freshman, was as known for his off-field antics as his on-field skills during his two years at Texas A&M.

As for the current team, which went 8-5 with a 4-4 record in the SEC in 2015, Allen thinks that not everyone was on the same page.

“We had a lot of people who were talking about the same goal but weren’t all committed and on the same page to get to that goal,” Allen said.

“Everyone wasn’t in a straight line. Everyone was going this way, this way, this way. We had a ton of talent there. I think that, once you get all the right coaches there and get the vision right, you can do a lot of things.”

This doesn’t exactly come off as full of praise for coach Kevin Sumlin, and a lack of trust in the head coach was reportedly a major reason behind the departure of Allen and his fellow quarterback Kyler Murray. Most of all, it sounds as though Manziel’s shadow still looms large over the Aggies, even as his NFL career goes up in flames.