Everybody has an opinion on how Johnny Manziel should handle himself.
But now that Hall of Famers have chimed in, it’s probably only fair to go to the other end of the spectrum.
Former Bengals draft bust Akili Smith said he’s afraid Manziel’s nightlife reminds him too much of his own.
“Yeah, it’s written all over the wall with some of the things he’s doing in the offseason going to Vegas and all that stuff,” Smith told Paul Dehner of the Cincinnati Enquirer. “He needs to put all that type of stuff to the side right now and focus on his career. That stuff is going to be there and if he doesn’t do that he is going to have a tough, tough time.”
Smith, the third overall pick in the 1999 Draft, remembers the advice of offensive coordinator Ken Anderson: “You have to live the lifestyle. You have to live the lifestyle.”
Smith’s now trying to help others keep from making the same mistakes he did, and said he worried that too much pressure was being placed on Manziel. And he knows, because he was once in a similar situation, and now exists as a cautionary tale.