Charles Barkley delivered a powerful message to Johnny Manziel just hours before the former Cleveland Browns quarterback was arrested in Las Vegas in May, according to a radio interview Barkley gave this morning. Barkley says he spoke to Manziel in Vegas, and hours later, as he waited for a plane to Oklahoma City, he saw in the news that Manziel had been kicked out of a nightclub.
Manziel appeared to get in a fight in the club, but he was not criminally charged. In the interview, Barkley explained the words of wisdom he had offered to Manziel.
“I said, ‘Johnny, man you’re screwing up your life, man,'" Barkley said. "'I’m not your dad, I’m not going to try to lecture you. I’m just telling you I had a brother who passed away at a young age. Drugs and alcohol got him. It’s gonna end like a bad movie.’"
Barkley's brother, Daryl, died of a heart attack at 42 in 2009 after struggling with substance abuse.
"It's very personal to me," Barkley said. "I just feel sadness, to be honest with you. It's like a bad movie: you know how it's going to end."
Barkley's from-the-heart message at least seemedto strike a chord with Manziel.
“He said, ‘Man I just like to have fun,’ and I said, ‘Johnny we all like to have fun, at some point it’s out of control,’" Barkley said. "I said, ‘Man, don’t screw up your career, and I’m worried about your life. I saw what happened to my mom, when my brother passed away, I thought she quit living after that happened. I felt bad for her, and I don’t wanna feel bad for your mom and dad if something happens to you man, stop being selfish.’ He said, ‘Man, you know what, I’m gonna try and do better.’"
Manziel has continued making that promise. Earlier this week, he vowed he will go completely sober Friday.
Johnny would benefit from less talk and more action. Fewer verbal commitments and more follow-through. For his sake, we can only hope it happens—or, as Chuck pointed out, this won't end well.
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