Even though Johnny Manziel left school after the 2013 season, Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin fielding questions at the annual SEC Media Days event about Manziel has become a tradition.
Sumlin hasn’t been a fan of such questions in the past, but on Tuesday he told reporters he’s recently exchanged text messages with Manziel and supports the former Heisman Trophy winner and first-round pick amid his struggles.
“Bottom line, he’s an Aggie,” Sumlin said. “He’ll always be an Aggie. At Texas A&M, we take care of each other.”
Manziel was cut by the Browns in March, has been dropped by two agents and is facing assault charges stemming from an early 2016 incident with an ex-girlfriend.
Manziel recently said he planned to get sober in July.
Per Dan Wolken of USA Today, Sumlin twice chose to not directly answer questions about whether he could have done more to keep Manziel on the right path away from football.
Last spring, Sumlin said it “was a little unnerving” that he’d been unable to reach Manziel.
