Is Johnny Manziel about to self-destruct? That’s the question everyone in the sports world seems to be asking this week. ESPN The Magazine published an in-depth profile of the young Heisman winner, detailing his struggle to cope with the pressures of celebrity since bursting onto the scene less than a year ago.
With an arrest and several public controversies only recently behind him, pundits are busy wondering how the 20-year-old star will endure the spotlight over the coming year. And a few more cracks in Manziel’s public image could hurt his reputation among GMs in the NFL, if they should come to see him as a risk for his behavior problems.
Wright Thompson of ESPN writes of Manziel’s parents’ growing concern for their son’s well-being amid fame and (looming) fortune:
This spring Johnny flew to Toronto for the weekend to hang out with Drake and his crew. His mom panicked when she heard, sure that the last thing her son needed was a rapper, who certainly would fill Johnny’s head with terrible ideas. She said she felt sick to her stomach. Instead, Johnny came back visibly lighter, with new clues on how to handle his growing fame. She said a prayer afterward, thanking God for knowing what her son needed more than she or Paul did. She also mourned a little because her baby had more in common with international superstar musicians than with his mom and dad. Michelle’s friends keep trying to tell her an uncomfortable truth: “Nothing will ever be the same.”
They’re concerned. Paul thinks Johnny drinks to deal with the stress. After his arrest, Johnny’s parents and Sumlin mandated he visit an alcohol counselor; Johnny saw him six or seven weeks during the season…
It’s a familiar Hollywood story–young people thrust into the pressures of fast fame and fortune, and crumbling before our eyes while the media broadcasts all the details for popular consumption. It usually ends with multiple stints in rehab or, in the worst cases, a lethal overdose. But the cult of celebrity isn’t limited to teen-bop pop stars or grown up Disney Channel stars–it has become a very big part of the college sports world.
I heard a commentator say this week that what Manziel needs is just a little bit of Tim Tebow’s character and self-discipline. Maybe so. Let’s just hope he withstands the pressure of his athletic success long enough to grow up and mature, without harming his future–or himself.
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