Johnny “Football” Manziel, quarterback out of Texas A&M, has been followed and scrutinized ever since his first dose of public exposure. A Heisman Trophy winner as a freshman, Manziel made his presence known as a gamer on the field who could beat you with his feet and his arm, while also not failing to miss out on the frat parties. From throwing for 464 yards and five touchdowns with 98 rushing yards against Alabama one night to getting kicked out of Texas Longhorns parties the next night, Manziel’s career was and still is a story of ups and downs. Upon being drafted, he had constant run-ins with TMZ, including his famous “money telephone.”
Laremy Tunsil, offensive tackle and highly touted Ole Miss prospect also had high expectations in this year’s NFL draft, but without some of the flashy quarterback image. Unlike Manziel, Tunsil did not win the Heisman trophy nor did he win the ESPY in 2013 for Best Male College Athlete. Yet, Tunsil’s athleticism has never been in question; draft experts projected Tunsil in the top 3 and many even called him the best player in the draft, in terms of value. Like Manziel, Tunsil has been followed throughout his football career by scrutiny and controversy. In 2014, his own father came forward, claiming that Tunsil had taken improper benefits from agents. That season, Tunsil was benched/suspended for 7 games, but he came back and shut down all-SEC DE Myles Garrett in his first game since returning. On Thursday, April 28th, Tunsil’s past came into question once again, as instagram posts revealed that he and his coach exchanged text messages, which clearly reveal that he received improper gifts. Later on Tuesday night, Tunsil confirmed the rumours as true that he did in fact, accept money from his Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze. Before the allegations about illegal gifts however, Tunsil’s twitter account was hacked and showed a video of the offensive tackle smoking marijuana in a bong. In an incredible chain of events, the presumptive top 5 pick slid down to pick #13, being drafted finally by the Miami Dolphins.
Roger Goodell, in typical Goodell fashion, sparked a controversy the next day by saying that it “was what makes the draft exciting,” mocking the fact that Tunsil’s lifelong dream had turned into a nightmare and will never leave him. Tunsil is reminiscent of Manziel, both with clear problems off the field that are overly emphasized and targeted by the media. Sure, Manziel’s drinking and irresponsible behavior has gotten to the point that he is no longer reliable to any organization. But early in his career Manziel was being hounded for partying (at Texas A&M), yet the Aggies were persistent powerhouses. Manziel’s poor performances are probably less attributable to his “drinking problem” and more attributable to the fact that he just is not that good. Manziel does have a problem, but going out on a bye week to party does not count as a problem. Jim Dray, tight end for the Browns when Manziel was quarterback, said that it “was not unusual for someone to go out partying during the bye week.” He was just trying to have fun in college, but the media turned him into a drunken mess. Hopefully Tunsil will not destroyed by the media like Manziel, but he will certainly be targeted all year long as the media looks for anything they can find to see what else he has done.
Smoking weed is hardly a rare character flaw. Detroit GM Bob Quinn said, “If we took the players off the board that smoked pot in college, at least half the board would be gone.” Tunsil’s character should not be in question until he does something actually worth questioning. Doing dumb, regrettable stuff in college is not a character problem. It is a reality most college students face at one point or another, and Tunsil should not be ridiculed (like Manziel) for being like any other college student. These guys are normal people, not superhuman, and they like to have fun like everyone else who goes to college. Accepting money from Ole Miss does get into a grayer area, but I still think that it is 100% the institution’s fault for giving him the money instead of telling him that they play by the rules. Just like with pot, many stars have surely received money from their universities too, whether publicly known or not. Besides, although he was acquitted, the Baltimore Ravens acted like they took the moral high ground by passing on Tunsil despite the fact that they had no problem promoting a captain (Ray Lewis) who was investigated for murder. It is up in the air, but it seems pretty unfair to subject him to so much scrutiny and turn him into another Manziel. I mean the kid has already lost $6 million by dropping to the thirteenth pick; how much more can we punish him?
Johnny “Football” Manziel, quarterback out of Texas A&M, has been followed and scrutinized ever since his first dose of public exposure. A Heisman Trophy winner as a freshman, Manziel made his presence known as a gamer on the field who could beat you with his feet and his arm, while also not failing to miss out on the frat parties. From throwing for 464 yards and five touchdowns with 98 rushing yards against Alabama one night to getting kicked out of Texas Longhorns parties the next night, Manziel’s career was and still is a story of ups and downs. Upon being drafted, he had constant run-ins with TMZ, including his famous “money telephone.”
Laremy Tunsil, offensive tackle and highly touted Ole Miss prospect also had high expectations in this year’s NFL draft, but without some of the flashy quarterback image. Unlike Manziel, Tunsil did not win the Heisman trophy nor did he win the ESPY in 2013 for Best Male College Athlete. Yet, Tunsil’s athleticism has never been in question; draft experts projected Tunsil in the top 3 and many even called him the best player in the draft, in terms of value. Like Manziel, Tunsil has been followed throughout his football career by scrutiny and controversy. In 2014, his own father came forward, claiming that Tunsil had taken improper benefits from agents. That season, Tunsil was benched/suspended for 7 games, but he came back and shut down all-SEC DE Myles Garrett in his first game since returning. On Thursday, April 28th, Tunsil’s past came into question once again, as instagram posts revealed that he and his coach exchanged text messages, which clearly reveal that he received improper gifts. Later on Tuesday night, Tunsil confirmed the rumours as true that he did in fact, accept money from his Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze. Before the allegations about illegal gifts however, Tunsil’s twitter account was hacked and showed a video of the offensive tackle smoking marijuana in a bong. In an incredible chain of events, the presumptive top 5 pick slid down to pick #13, being drafted finally by the Miami Dolphins.
Roger Goodell, in typical Goodell fashion, sparked a controversy the next day by saying that it “was what makes the draft exciting,” mocking the fact that Tunsil’s lifelong dream had turned into a nightmare and will never leave him. Tunsil is reminiscent of Manziel, both with clear problems off the field that are overly emphasized and targeted by the media. Sure, Manziel’s drinking and irresponsible behavior has gotten to the point that he is no longer reliable to any organization. But early in his career Manziel was being hounded for partying (at Texas A&M), yet the Aggies were persistent powerhouses. Manziel’s poor performances are probably less attributable to his “drinking problem” and more attributable to the fact that he just is not that good. Manziel does have a problem, but going out on a bye week to party does not count as a problem. Jim Dray, tight end for the Browns when Manziel was quarterback, said that it “was not unusual for someone to go out partying during the bye week.” He was just trying to have fun in college, but the media turned him into a drunken mess. Hopefully Tunsil will not destroyed by the media like Manziel, but he will certainly be targeted all year long as the media looks for anything they can find to see what else he has done.
Smoking weed is hardly a rare character flaw. Detroit GM Bob Quinn said, “If we took the players off the board that smoked pot in college, at least half the board would be gone.” Tunsil’s character should not be in question until he does something actually worth questioning. Doing dumb, regrettable stuff in college is not a character problem. It is a reality most college students face at one point or another, and Tunsil should not be ridiculed (like Manziel) for being like any other college student. These guys are normal people, not superhuman, and they like to have fun like everyone else who goes to college. Accepting money from Ole Miss does get into a grayer area, but I still think that it is 100% the institution’s fault for giving him the money instead of telling him that they play by the rules. Just like with pot, many stars have surely received money from their universities too, whether publicly known or not. Besides, although he was acquitted, the Baltimore Ravens acted like they took the moral high ground by passing on Tunsil despite the fact that they had no problem promoting a captain (Ray Lewis) who was investigated for murder. It is up in the air, but it seems pretty unfair to subject him to so much scrutiny and turn him into another Manziel. I mean the kid has already lost $6 million by dropping to the thirteenth pick; how much more can we punish him?
