It’s safe to say former Texas A&M and Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel won’t be playing in the recently launched XFL anytime soon.
In a series of tweets, the 2012 Heisman Trophy winner and 2014 first round NFL Draft pick made his football comeback intentions known, but also made it clear that he wouldn’t be suiting up for the version 2.0 of the XFL led by Vince McMahon and Oliver Luck (Andrew Luck’s father).
And he took a subtle shot at the upstart league (and others that have failed in the past) along the way.
Manziel’s mention of, “playing for another league that’s going to fold on you midway through the season,” is a direct reference to his brief stint playing for the Memphis Express in the Alliance of American Football (AAF), and an obvious lack of faith in the XFL’s sustainability.
Manziel continued on, insinuating that if he never played football again, he’d be at peace with it.
I can’t help but feel a small sense of disappointment with Manziel’s current stance against playing in the XFL. On paper, the 27-year-old and the league seem like a perfect fit.
Manziel would give the XFL another recognizable and marketable name, and the league’s up-tempo style of play could possibly bring out the player who set the football world on fire at Texas A&M — imagine Johnny Football playing in June Jones’ Air Raid system with a 25-second play clock.
On a positive (and more important) note, it appears as though Manziel has gotten his life back on track and is in a good place mentally.
By all reports, opening weekend has been a massive success for the XFL. Only time will tell if Manziel will change his mind about taking his comeback tour to football’s newest professional league.
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