Was Johnny Manziel Ready to Win the Heisman?

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 I mentioned in SEC Media Days recap that I was going to devote a post to elaborate on Johnny Manziel and the hype he received at the Media Days about his "actions" this off season.  Then Wright Thompson's piece on Johnny and his background was released, with Johnny's father making some questionable comments about him, but otherwise, provided some great insight (definitely worth reading).  And now news has surfaced that Johnny Manziel is being investigated by the NCAA (& Texas A&M) about possibly selling his autograph- which is against regulations.

Since winning the Heisman Trophy, Johnny Manziel has had quite the life.  He has attended parties, red carpet events, sporting events, and met celebrities, but also had to learn how to handle the new-found fame and never-ending attention/pressure of the media/fans!  And let's just say, he's still learning.  

Johnny with Lebron James, via his Instagram

 Johnny has gotten into some trouble with things he's posted on social media and other poor choices he has made.  These include, but are not limited to:  Tweeting that he couldn't wait to leave College Station, being asked to leave the Manning Passing Academy early due to "over sleeping" and missing obligations (!!!!!!!), partying/drinking beer (he's only 20), and if the new allegations of him receiving monetary compensation for his autograph are true, it could cost him his college football career.

I'm not sure weather to feel bad for Johnny or think he brought this on himself.

He's a kid, we know this.  But he is also a "public figure" with an image for himself, his school and the sport of college football to uphold.  In each case (minus his new allegations) he has taken responsibility for his actions.  But that's just it.. he apologizes after he does it, knowing that he shouldn't have done it in the first place.

Media crowding around Johnny at SEC Media Days

This is what makes me question Johnny's maturity level and wonder if he was ready for this "role"- regardless if it's a role that he's accepted or society has put him in.  I think he's immature not only for his age, but for someone of such "high regard".  His excuse, or really lack-there-of, for the Manning Academy being the top of my list.  Like com' on man, you couldn't be responsible enough to make sure you have an alarm set or back-up.  Even if he was drinking/hungover, he should have been there.  He let down a lot of people that day, most of them being young kids and fans that look up to him.  I don't like that.

There have been College Football players that have won the Heisman Trophy at a young age before, and what makes Johnny different from them is, again, his maturity.  Take Tim Tebow for example.  He won the Heisman at a young sophomore.  He still had years left to mature in college and grow as a player.  He had the attention just like Johnny is experiencing, but did not handle it the same way!  I'm not saying I'm a fan of Tebow's, or that I'm not.  Truthfully, I'm indifferent.  I'm just saying that their maturity levels at that age were different.

Other athletes Johnny's age, who granted may not have won such a prestigious award, but are in the eyes of the media non-the-less, have not acted the way Johnny has during the off-season. 

AJ McCarron, University of Alabama Quarterback and 2-time National Champion, is a great example of someone who knows he's looked at to set an example.  At the SEC Media Days he said, "I want to be that type of guy that younger kids can look up to. I want them to have a role model."  This is not me saying that McCarron deserved the Heisman, but I think he might have been able to handle himself a little better in the after math! (Maybe next we'll talk about what it will take for him to win in 2013)

Its been pointed out by the media that Bryce Harper, Outfielder for the Washington Nationals, is less than 2 months older than Johnny and the maturity levels are on opposite sides of the spectrum.  It makes me wonder,  does Johnny not take his "role" seriously?  No one would care if some other, "regular" student at Texas A&M said they couldn't wait to leave College Station.  But it has a completely different meaning coming from "Johnny Football".  And that's also where the maturity comes in.  He just can't say stuff like that and the fact that he took to Twitter to rant about "a parking ticket" can be deemed immature.  Johnny said,  "At points in time, I feel like it was blown out of proportion. But I should have known better," as he addressed the media at the SEC Media Days!

Whether you agree with the NCAA rules that say that students on athletic scholarship are not allowed  to work or accept monetary compensation are "right" (and I'll tell ya, I don't- Texas A&M is making boat loads of money off this kid and he gets nothing in return? That's not fair), he broke them.  He knew the rules and knew the controversy that would arise if he broke them.  Johnny has shown that he is thinking "Me", not "We".  Which I think will hurt him down the road when the NFL is thinking about him.  (again, Bryce vs. Johnny)

Sure, his football skills and development as a young college football player and more specifically a Saturday in November at Alabama, put him on the map and in contention for the Heisman Trophy.  But was he ready to win it?  Was his ready to handle everything that came along with it- the media attention, the fan attention, the celebrity status, and everything as a whole?  Was he ready to live his life fully in the public eye?  I think it's safe to say, no.

But really, Johnny didn't choose this and all of it does not make him any less deserving of winning the Heisman Trophy or any less of a football player.  Actually, we'll be able to judge that better once the season starts.  You know that if he doesn't play to people's standards right off the bat, everyone is going to blame it on his shenanigans in the off season.  And well, now I guess we have to worry about if he'll even be playing at all.

Based on the 2012 season, Johnny Manziel earned the Heisman and should reap the benefits.  He should just be more mature in the decisions and choices he makes, knowing very well that everyone is watching and that people are looking to him to be a role model, whether he wants to be or not.