Legendary Texas A&M Aggies quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel is about as outspoken as they come.
Never before has Manziel been shy about his words, especially when it comes to his crazy times in College Station with the program. He even made a Netflix documentary about the experience, seemingly revealing everything to the world.
However, after a recent interview with Shannon Sharpe, more shocking reveals have come to light - this time involving Manziel's father and former Aggies coach Kevin Sumlin.
Per Manziel in the interview, his father, Paul, went to Sumlin behind his back, attempting to negotiate a big money deal for the star to return to Texas A&M instead of going to the NFL.
“It’s the spring of 2014, December 2013," Manziel said. "I’m getting ready to make this decision on if I’m going to the NFL Draft or if I’m going to stay... My dad went and had a meeting with Kevin Sumlin. And pretty much went to him man to man and was like, ‘We’ll take $3 million and we’ll stay for the next two years.’"
“And my dad did this without me knowing. And I ain’t mad at him about it for nothing."
Suffice it to say, Sumlin and anyone else who may have been involved in the decision said no, and Manziel would ultimately enter the NFL Draft, where he would go on to be the No. 22 overall pick by the Cleveland Browns.
Meanwhile at Texas A&M Kenny Hill took the reigns of the offense, and the Aggies would finish the year 8-5.
However, Manziel wasn't done dropping his bombshells in the interview just yet, also telling Sharpe that 'bag men' existed at every big-time school that was competing for a title, including Texas A&M, LSU, Alabama, and more.
"It’s the way the business worked back then," Manziel said. "There was a bag man. There was a bag man at LSU. There was a bag man at ‘Bama. There was a bag man at every school around the country if you were competing for a national title. It is what it was, and it was always that way until we’re into the NIL portion of everything now, the way it should be.”
While rumors of 'bag men' and pay for play have always been in the background of college football, whether or not those allegations from Manziel are true, or can ever be proven, is another story entirely.
Either way, in the case of Manziel at least, it seems the Aggies turned the other way, which in retrospect, seems like the right decision.
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