Fansided

Charles Barkley nails his take on Johnny Manziel’s recent dust-up with a fan

By Jonathan Bass

May 20, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Former NBA player and current TNT television personality Charles Barkley prior to game one of the Eastern Conference Finals of the NBA Playoffs between the Atlanta Hawks and the Cleveland Cavaliers at Philips Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
May 20, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Former NBA player and current TNT television personality Charles Barkley prior to game one of the Eastern Conference Finals of the NBA Playoffs between the Atlanta Hawks and the Cleveland Cavaliers at Philips Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports /
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While on with Colin Cowherd, Charles Barkley weighed in on Johnny Manziel’s recent dust-up with a heckler.

News broke on Sunday that Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel threw a water bottle at a heckler. According to reports, the fan pestered Manziel for two hours at the Byron Nelson Classic, at times even grabbing the quarterback’s arm and requesting an autograph. The individual finally uttered some hot button words – “good luck never starting in the NFL” – Manziel turned into a race car in the red, winged the container, and his friends intervened. Cops were called, no charges were pressed, and everyone went along their way.

Before moving on, let’s note three things.

  1. There was no suspicion of alcohol use by Manziel. Good to know, since he is fresh out of rehab.
  2. The fan was reportedly wearing a Texas A&M hat. Which, if true, then come on, man. You shouldn’t be sandbagging one of the program’s most famous alumni. Support him, not badger him. He’s a big reason why Kevin Sumlin has a monster contract, the Aggies are recruiting the hell out of Texas and why TAMU’s transition to the SEC was a smooth, rousing success. Having a Heisman Trophy winner and first-round draft pick in your back pocket makes life easier. Cut your boy some slack.
  3. We have now reached the point in society where one man throwing a water bottle at another (and not even hitting him!) not only necessitates police intervention, but full-blown news coverage. A water bottle. Hooray, supersaturation!

Moving forward: In a slow news cycle (thanks again, NBA, for making us wait patiently for the Finals), Monday featured plenty of JFF hot takes from around the world of sports. Some say Manziel will never grow up. Others argue this is a non-incident. Charles Barkley, for his part, claims that the situation probably could’ve been avoided, and that we’re only talking about it because Manziel’s buddies didn’t intervene quicker.

During an interview with Colin Cowherd, Barkley laid out how Manziel can make this the last ever unsightly fan-incident. In sum: get a bodyguard or some buddies who, whenever you are harassed, usher the offensive party away and either threaten to punch the person in the head, or shake him down enough to never bother an athlete/celebrity again. Easy peasy.

Lest you feel that Barkley doesn’t practice what he preaches, check out the below clip from last year when a San Antonio shock jock tried mousetrapping him about a running gag on Inside the NBA (that all San Antonio women are big-boned). Within 45 seconds Barkley sniffs out the bs, calls over his bodyguard and sends the gadfly packing. It’s Celebrity Conflict Resolution 101.

(nsfw language)

Here’s where Manziel and his boys should take heed. If you’re Johnny Football, you have the endorsements and you have the means. Get yourself “that guy” for the entourage. Put him on payroll and never worry about any of this nonsense again. It’s a perk of being rich. Yes, you’re under a microscope (again: we’re talking about a water bottle), but you can throw money at the right people/situations and permanently extricate yourself from the tabloids.

Tiger Woods kept his sordid lifestyle under wraps for years by keeping a tight circle. Michael Jordan is the world’s most recognizable athlete and never has any problems when out. LeBron (Manziel’s business partner) surrounds himself with an army of close friends from back home and has had nary a public misstep (The Decision excluded). Offensive linemen have Manziel’s back on the gridiron. Now he needs a big ugly for the downtime.

In the world of picture phones, social media hot takes and overnight Twitter sensations, having one more barrier for trolls to crawl over is in no way a bad thing.

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