A week in the life of Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel, the most interesting man in college football (and what an eventful week it was for Johnny Football):
The MPA disaster
It began with Manziel's appearance, then disappearance, as a counselor from the Manning Passing Academy. Many of the nation's top college quarterbacks attend the camp each year. Manziel roomed with Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron, with whom he has been friends since last year, while there.
Brooks: Johnny Manziel's promise
Johnny Manziel showed something before leaving the Manning Passing Academy that impressed Bucky Brooks. **More ...**
Initial reports were that Manziel wasn't feeling well after a night on the town last Friday, overslept, missed a camp meeting, and was asked to leave by Archie Manning. Reporting of the events varied, but perhaps the most scathing account came from the New York Daily News. Manziel's father later told the Dallas Morning News that his son was recovering from dehydration. Peyton Manning later spoke in Manziel's defense
So how did Johnny Football look while he was there? NFL.com's Bucky Brooks came away impressed, saying Manziel appeared aware of his weaknesses and what he needed to prove to NFL scouts.
The court case
In the immediate aftermath of the MPA debacle, Johnny Football was in court Monday to put behind him a year-old case stemming from a bar altercation.
The build-up
Rumors swirled prior to Manziel's arrival at SEC Media Days that he might cut his appearance short, perhaps limiting interviews or even just making a statement without taking questions. On Tuesday afternoon, however, that talk had quelled.
The arrival
The mob scene of reporters following Manziel throughout the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Hoover, Ala., at Southeastern Conference Media Days took on a rock-star feel..
The answers
Johnny Football took every question in every interview room and was in defense mode when the topic came around to the MPA, insisting at each interview stop that he had not had too much to drink the previous night, and that his departure was not directed by a Manning, but rather a mutual decision. The culprit? A dead cell phone.
The grades
How did Johnny Football do overall? He pretty much stuck to the script. But he came across as genuine, which was about as important.
The getaway ...
It was straight from SEC Media Days to the ESPY Awards for Johnny Football. And of course, he took home some hardware. Did you expect anything else?
... but not so fast
While Johnny was away, McCarron took direct aim at Manziel. While not naming his friend, it was clear who the Alabama QB was talking about while discussing how he handles himself publicly as a star player on a national championship team.
"I can't go out and act the fool in public and drink excessively and end up being wild. I can't do that," McCarron said from SEC Media Days on Thursday. "I'm not saying I want to in any type of way. But I want to be the type of guy that younger kids can look up to me."
Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter @ChaseGoodbread.
