Johnny Manziel Almost Transferred From Texas A&M, Was Nearly Suspended For Entire 2012 Season After Arrest, Source Says

Johnny Manziel’s rocky offseason continued Tuesday when a source revealed that the Texas A&M quarterback was suspended before his 2012 Heisman Trophy season, and would have transferred if his suspension hadn’t been overturned.

The newfound revelation stems from events that occurred before Manziel had even been named Texas A&M’s starting quarterback. On June 29, 2012, the man known as “Johnny Football” was arrested outside a College Station bar for fighting, failure to identify and possession of fake IDs, all of which were misdemeanor charges. A source with knowledge of the situation claims that Manziel was initially supposed to be suspended for the entire 2012 season, the Dallas Morning News reports.

The possibility of being suspended was purportedly enough to drive Manziel out of Texas A&M. A source claims that Manziel, who was set to begin his college football career after sitting out the 2011 season as a redshirt, would have opted to transfer if his suspension hadn’t been overturned by appeal, the Morning News reports.

The details of Manziel’s arrest were a major storyline in the early part of the 2012 college football season. According to police reports, a high school teammate of Manzie’s called a fellow bar patron a racial slur, leading to a fight between the two parties. When authorities responded to the brawl, they discovered that Manziel was in possession of fake IDs.

Of course, Texas A&M’s season would have been far different if they had suspended Manziel. Led by “Johnny Football,” the Aggies went 11-2 in their debut season in the SEC.

The report concerning Manziel’s near-transfer is the latest in what has been a tumultuous offseason for the Heisman Trophy winner. Earlier this week, the 20-year-old tweeted his apparent displeasure with life at Texas A&M.

“Bull---- like tonight is a reason why I can’t wait to leave college station…whenever it may be,” Manziel wrote, in reference to an unspecified incident. The tweet was quickly deleted, but not before Deadspin managed to take a screenshot. Manziel later qualified the tweet, stating “Don’t ever forget that I love A&M with all of my heart, but please please walk a day in my shoes.”