Johnny Manziel is apologizing for not showing up despite being announced as guest picker on ESPN’s College GameDay.
Johnny Manziel was supposed to be the star guest picker on ESPN’s College GameDay ahead of the Miami vs. Texas A&M showdown. The graphics were ready. The hype was loud. Aggies fans were locked in. And then nothing. No Johnny Football.
Naturally, the internet did what it does best. It spiraled.
ESPN announced Manziel as the guest picker, which is basically college football royalty treatment. This was supposed to be his moment to smile, talk ball, and remind everyone he once ran wild on SEC defenses. Instead, he pulled the ultimate no-show.
Eventually, Manziel explained himself and issued an apology.
The Daily Mail can now reveal that Manziel was struck down by a sudden illness just hours before College GameDay aired.
The Aggies icon was in fact ‘medically unable to travel due to illness’ from Miami to Texas, a representative for Manziel confirmed to The Daily Mail.
Manziel became ‘acutely ill’ late on Friday night after contracting norovirus while spending time with family earlier in the week.
‘While en route to the airport, his condition worsened, and following medical advice, he and his team made the decision to turn back,’ a spokesperson for Manziel said.
He then hopped on his Instagram Story and apologized saying:
‘I will have plenty more to say about what transpired yesterday,’ he wrote. ‘There is almost nothing on this earth that would have made me miss that game. To all the people that genuinely reached out and checked in on me I cannot thank you enough.
‘To ESPN, Pat, Coach, Desmond, and the entire crew on gameday I apologize it was out of my control. To the Aggies and A&M fan base I’m sorry.
‘I will continue to let everyone out there run with a fake narrative and at the end of the day perception always wins over reality. I love all of you who genuinely support me through good and bad like you’ve all done for years.
‘I have no doubt Texas A&M and the Aggie football program will be in that position again. I’m recovering and feeling about a 3/10 going to rest up and try to get back to normal.’
To his credit, Manziel owned it. No dodging. No fake excuses. Just a simple explanation and an apology that sometimes things fall apart, even when you mean well.
