Johnny Manziel Issues Statement After Missing 'College GameDay' Appearance

The 2012 Heisman Trophy winner was replaced as the program’s guest picker by Alex Caruso.

Manziel missed his scheduled appearance on College GameDay on Saturday. / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Johnny Manziel has issued a statement after missing his scheduled appearance on ESPN’s College GameDay on Saturday.

With his alma mater Texas A&M Aggies playing host to the Miami Hurricanes in the first round of the 2025 College Football Playoff in College Station, the 2012 Heisman Trophy winner was set to be the flagship program’s celebrity guest picker ahead of kickoff. He didn't make it, however, and was replaced by former Aggie and current Oklahoma City Thunder guard Alex Caruso.

Manziel was present at the Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua fight on Friday in Miami, leading many to connect dots and speculate that he had bailed on ESPN after a late night out. The 33-year-old has since posted the following message on his Instagram story:

Manziel issued a statement on his College GameDay absence. / Screenshot via @jmanziel2 on Instagram.

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"I will have plenty more to say about what transpired yesterday. There is almost nothing on this earth that would have made me miss that game. To all the people that genuinely reached out and checked in on me l cannot thank you enough.

"To ESPN, Pat, Coach, Desmond, and the entire crew on gameday l apologize it was out of my control. To the Aggies and A&M fan base I'm sorry. I will continue to let everyone out there run with a fake narrative and at the end of the day perception always wins over reality. I love all of you who genuinely support me through good and bad like you've all done for years. I have no doubt Texas A&M and the Aggie football program will be in that position again. I'm recovering and feeling about a 3/10 going to rest up and try and get back to normal."

A&M ultimately lost to Miami 10–3 on a last-second interception thrown by Marcel Reed. The Hurricanes will now take on the Ohio State Buckeyes in the CFP Quarterfinals.

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