Kevin Durant defends Johnny Manziel from haters before first preseason NFL game
By Sam Richmond
It’s well known that LeBron James is good friends with Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel. Well, it turns out another NBA superstar is a fan of Johnny Football’s game.
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Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant defended Manziel against his many detractors ahead of the quarterback’s first preseason game on Saturday against the Detroit Lions.
So if Johnny football kill tonight y'all gonna say "it's just preseason". If he doesn't y'all gonna say he don't belong. Smh
— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) August 9, 2014
Durant brings up a pretty good point. While a strong performance from Manziel will certainly help him in his quest to win the Browns’ starting quarterback job, it probably won’t win him anything in terms of public perception because he’s disliked by a lot of football fans and it’s preseason. But if Manziel struggles, then expect fans and media alike to use it as proof that Manziel doesn’t have what it takes to be a starting quarterback.
It’s an unfortunate position for Manziel to be in, but there’s really nothing he can do about it at this point. His reputation is what it is and he’ll likely have to prove himself for a long period of time to finally earn the respect as a player he deserves.
The Browns will kickoff against the Lions at 7:30 ET on NFL Network. Brian Hoyer will start at QB for the Browns.