Johnny Manziel was drafted in the first round back in 2014 despite all the character concerns surrounding him, and he eventually proved the naysayers right by botching his NFL career. Believe it or not, that is not the biggest regret he has from his playing days.
In the first episode of his “Ball Don’t Lie” podcast that premiered this week, Manziel opened up about the mistakes he made at Texas A&M. He said he was so wrapped up in his own personal goals after winning the Heisman Trophy his freshman season in 2012 that he cost his teammates a shot to win a national championship.
Manziel said he was not voted a captain by his teammates heading into his sophomore season. He now understands why.
“Whether we were good enough or not to win a national championship in my second year, I think the work that I (didn’t) put in in the offseason and the time that I (didn’t) put in to my brothers and my teammates… I wasn’t voted a team captain after winning the Heisman because I didn’t show up to workouts and didn’t do what I needed to do,” Manziel said. “I wasn’t accountable to the guys on my team. It’s something I’ll probably never get over.”
Manziel admitted that his ego grew too much after winning the Heisman, which cost both him and his Aggies teammates.
“If I had done what I needed to do between seasons, not only would I have won another Heisman, I would have put my team in a position to win a national championship,” he said. “More so than anything that happened in Cleveland, I think that’s the biggest regret I have in my entire life.”
You can hear the comments below at around the 27:30 mark, but note that the clip contains inappropriate language:
If there is one thing Manziel has done since flopping as an NFL player, it’s talk openly about why he never lived up to his potential. Work ethic and focus were always major issues for him, and he has no problem acknowledging that.
It was not all that long ago that Manziel revealed the biggest regret from his NFL career, but it sounds like what happened at Texas A&M bothers him even more.
