Maverick Carter, LeBron James’ business partner and longtime friend, is still willing to help Johnny Manziel.
In an interview with Mark Anthony Green of GQ Style, Carter was asked if he regrets working with Manziel. He said he does not.
“No, I don’t regret it. I met Johnny and liked him. He obviously was who he was coming out, which is gigantic,” Carter explained. “I feel like we did a great job with Johnny and helped him a lot. But he was his biggest opponent. He’s a very intelligent guy—he’s just his biggest opponent. Still is. But to this day, if he called me, I’d go help him in a second. So that’s another reason why I can’t regret it: I made relationships with him and his family that’ll probably last a lifetime.”
Manziel chose LRMR, LeBron’s business firm that is run by Carter, when he decided to enter the NFL Draft. Manziel tried to use LeBron’s image strategy before his rookie season even began, and he later worked closely with Carter and considered him a mentor for a while.
Back in January, LRMR dropped Manziel and said the agency was shifting its focus away from endorsement deals. While many believed that was an excuse to part ways with Manziel as his life was spiraling out of control, Carter told GQ Style that his initial desire to represent other athletes in addition to LeBron was a mistake.
“One (reason) is that there’s only one LeBron,” Carter explained. “Another reason is that other athletes always viewed me as LeBron’s guy. They thought: He can’t be my guy, too. It was a mistake because I lost time on it. And managing LeBron was enough. It was plenty to do.”
Trying to manage a headache like Manziel would certainly take time away from tending to LeBron’s affairs, so it’s no surprise that Carter has moved on. That said, the stuff going on with Manziel now is bigger than any business deal, as evidenced by this old friend reaching out. Carter obviously feels the same way.
