Johnny Manziel Says He’s a Cautionary Tale for NIL Era 

Among the thousands of college athletes who missed out on name, image and likeness, Johnny Manziel ranks among the biggest what-ifs. 

Manziel became a national sensation at Texas A&M when he won the Heisman Trophy as a redshirt freshman quarterback in 2012. Known as Johnny Football, he developed a reputation as a hard partier and flamed out in the NFL after being drafted by the Cleveland Browns 22nd overall in the 2014 NFL Draft. 

While at Texas A&M, Manziel was investigated by the NCAA for accepting money for signing autographs, but was only suspended for half a game for what the organization called an “inadvertent violation.” 

Now Manziel says he’s a cautionary tale for athletes making a lot of money at a young age. 

“I got thrown into a situation that very few people in the college football world had ever had to deal with before,” Manziel said on Front Office Sports Today. “Nobody could have been prepared for what was next, what was going to happen. Now, you know, there are stories like mine and others out there to be able to learn from, to be able to put some safeguards in place for young athletes and young men that are getting a lot of money and a lot of fame and a lot of things that come along with what the NIL world has brought.” 

NIL wasn’t introduced until 2021 when the NCAA amended its policies for athletes to profit off their name, image, and likeness. Manziel was roughly a decade too late. He also isn’t eligible for money from the House settlement, which allows athletes who competed from June 2016 to 2024 to recoup an undisclosed amount of money from their alma mater.

“The one thing that I can hope for is that the universities are more dialed in and detailed and protecting the student athletes and teaching them and educating them,” Manziel said. “And hopefully, you know, the guys are paying attention.”

Manziel, 32, made less than $8 million during his NFL career, according to Spotrac, and now hosts the Glory Days podcast and is on the fourth season of Special Forces on Fox, a show where celebrities compete in a military-training environment.