Johnny Manziel Narrative is Now a “Sad” Tale

A punk. A loser. A trainwreck. Just Johnny being Johnny. He's only a 23-year-old kid, doing what 23-year-olds do.

I've heard - or said - it all regarding Johnny Manziel.

The narrative doesn't fall anywhere in the middle. Manziel is either the living embodiment of what we all want to be: NFL player, free spirit, does what he wants and doesn't care. OR, he's a punk who's ruined a shot that most of us would give anything to have.

But after this latest story, that Manziel was MIA on Saturday night-Sunday morning because he was in Vegas gambling and partying, and wearing a disguise to do so, the narrative has changed for me.

I was watching 'The Herd' with Colin Cowherd yesterday. And Colin was right. Say what you want about Manziel, he may be a mix of everything above, but the narrative has now shifted to 'sad.'

Maybe Johnny Manziel is a waste of talent. Maybe he's just a typical 23-year-old. But when you are flying all over the country, donning fake wigs and disguises on the day before a game? That's the sign of addiction, as Cowherd said.

And that to me isn't funny. It's not him being a "loser." And Johnny is no longer just being "cool."

It's just sad. And we should all root for Johnny to get help in his life, and not to just turn it around on Sunday's.