Johnny Manziel addresses absence from ‘College GameDay’ after being announced as celebrity guest picker
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
Johnny Manziel was supposed to be College GameDay’s celebrity guest picker ahead of Texas A&M‘s first-round College Football Playoff game against Miami.
There was one problem: he didn’t show. Instead, Oklahoma City Thunder point guard and former Texas A&M standout Alex Caruso took his place. That confused those watching GameDay on Saturday morning.
Manziel was reportedly in Miami the night before the game for the Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua fight. He addressed his absence via a somewhat cryptic Instagram story, saying he had “plenty more to say” about what happened on Friday. However, it’s not clear what he was specifically referring to.
“There is almost nothing on this earth tht would have made me miss that game,” Manziel wrote. “To all the people that genuinely reached out and checked in on me, I cannot thank you enough.”
Manziel then apologized to ESPN and the GameDay crew, saying his absence was “out of my control.” He also apologized to Texas A&M and Aggie fans, while (again, cryptically) mentioning a “fake narrative” that had spread about him.
“Perception always wins over reality,” he said. “I love all of you who genuinely support me through good and bad like you’ve all done for years.”
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
