Johnny Manziel says he “made somewhat of a decent living” by selling autographed items during his days at Texas A&M, but noted he “never took a dollar” until after he won the Heisman Trophy in 2012.
During an interview with Barstool Sports, the former Cleveland Browns QB finally came clean when he recounted selling his autograph by detailing two different transactions in 2013 that he says netted him $33,000.
“We’re doing it all sneaky, we don’t want to get caught, we’re trying to learn from everybody else who’s got caught,” Manziel said during the interview that was published Thursday by Barstool Sports. “And I may or may not have gone back to this guy’s condo and signed probably 10,000 pieces. He gave me three grand.”
He then spoke on an incident where a guy approached him and told him he was getting “ripped off” before offering to connect him with another man who would pay him $30,000.
“So this guy is like, ‘All right, go to this room at the Fontainebleau. All this stuff will be in there laid out, and when you’re done, just send me a picture of all of it, I’ll give you the code to the safe, the money will be in there,'” Manziel said.
The NCAA investigated Manziel before the start of his sophomore season, but evidence could be found.
“I made somewhat of a decent living in college,” said Manziel, who then dared the NCAA to “take my f—ing 9-4 season away and my Chick-fil-A Bowl against Duke.”
Click on ‘Follow Us’ and get notified of the most viral NFL stories via Google! Follow Us
Manziel responded: “I never took a dollar until after I won the Heisman,” when asked what he would say if the NCAA attempted to strip him of his Heisman Trophy.
The 28-year-old has not played in the NFL since 2015.
