Aggies Ex-WR Mike Evans Called Johnny Manziel 'Noble' For Admitting Struggles

Former Texas A&M quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel was drafted into the NFL in the first round by the Cleveland Browns, but his professional career quickly fizzled. In the recent Netflix documentary, he outlined his rise and fall and revealed an attempt to take his own life.

One of Texas A&M football's most polarizing and at the same time legendary figures is quarterback Johnny Manziel. The 2012 Heisman Trophy winner was lauded by some for his mobile style of play, while at the same time criticized for playing "out of control."

The Kerrville, Texas product and 2012 consensus All-American was drafted into the NFL in the first round by the Cleveland Browns, but his professional career quickly fizzled. In the recent Netflix documentary, Manziel outlined his rise and fall and revealed an attempt to take his own life.

Former A&M teammate and current Tampa Bay Buccaneers standout Mike Evans indicated he had no idea of the level of his former quarterback's struggles.

“I knew he was in a very dark place; I didn’t know about that,” Evans told ESPN. “I care about him, but, you know, I didn’t know about his suicide attempt. That was news. ... I thought it was very noble of him to do what he did, ‘cause it takes heart to admit a lot of that stuff".

Manziel noted his rock bottom occurred in March of 2016 when the Browns released him. He fell into a daily drug habit that caused a drop in weight from 215 pounds to 175 as he entered a "self-sabotage" mode with a "$5 million bender" and the purchase of a gun that would have one purpose.

“I planned to do everything that I wanted to do at that point of my life, spend as much money as I possibly could,” Manziel said matter-of-factly. “Then my plan was to take my life.

“I still to this day don’t know what happened, but the gun just clicked on me. I couldn’t fix what I had done ... with the NFL, with A&M, everything at that point in time. ... The ride was over.”

Evans said he knew a lot about Manziel's struggles, but not all.

“I thought it was a good documentary,” Evans said. “I mean, there’s a lot of stuff that I knew about, questions answered for a lot of people.”

The Manziel-to-Evans connection produced big numbers for the Aggies from 2012-2013 as Manziel amassed over 7,800 yards passing and just over 2,100 yards rushing during that time. The pair were responsible for 2,499 yards and 17 touchdowns.

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