Eds. Note: This is an opinion column written by a staff member of The Battalion in response to a guest column received Monday afternoon. Read the guest column here.

Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel is, once again, at the center of the sports world’s attention. This time though there’s little sympathy and fewer people on his side. Johnny Football has finally made an uncalculated mistake that will have ramifications.

Late Saturday night Manziel tweeted, “[Expletive] like tonight is a reason why I can’t wait to leave College Station … whenever it may be.”

Monday morning his tweet was the focus of SportsCenter’s centerpiece story. His message also made the front pages of Yahoo!, ESPN and countless other websites.

Being just the latest stunt he has pulled since the last football season ended, Manziel has answered the questions we’ve all wondered. He wants out of College Station and out of Texas A&M en route to what he deems bigger and better things.

It’s time to send Johnny Football down the proverbial one-year hallway in the house that is Texas A&M and straight out the front door.

Manziel’s tweet suggested something happened to make him think this way. He quickly deleted the tweet and responded with, “Don’t ever forget that I love A&M with all of my heart, but please please walk a day in my shoes.”

A day in Manziel’s shoes would equal a lifetime for many of us “regular” people. His affection for the school will not go unnoticed, but with this latest headline it’s time to begin looking at life without the only freshman to win the Heisman Trophy.

For months critics have bantered back-and-forth on Manziel’s NFL status. Because he was redshirted in his first year at A&M, he can declare for the NFL after this coming football season.

He could also stay at A&M for as many as two more years.

So the debate raged on as summer approached. Manziel wouldn’t stay both years, but if his draft stock is less than promising next April then maybe he’ll stay one more year.

Those hopes were all but crushed when he opted to tweet after midnight on a Saturday, which is surely a bad idea in the unwritten Twitter rulebook for people with more than 1,000 followers. Manziel has 368,000.

All of this does not mean that as fans, students and faculty we cannot appreciate what he has done. It is due in large part to Manziel’s Heisman-winning season that the A&M football program is more relevant than it has ever been in more than 100 years of activity.

Coach Kevin Sumlin has the top recruiting class in the nation and he is able to sell those recruits on the fact that they too can win a Heisman Trophy wearing the Maroon and White.

University President R. Bowen Loftin and the A&M marketing team is using this success to promote the school academically and applications are at an all-time high.

A&M will begin construction several months from now on a $430 million renovation to Kyle Field. The new stadium will feature statues surrounding the walkways and one can believe Manziel may have one of his own someday.

His accomplishments are noted but no matter the outcome of the promising 2013 season it is time to watch Manziel ride off into the sunset. Johnny Football wants out and as a selfish observer, I want him out as well.

I want to know if he can succeed in his second season, trying to live up to the hype. From there I want to see if he can be the latest Aggie taken in the NFL draft. I’m interested to see what Manziel can do as a professional quarterback.

But most importantly I want to see how Kevin Sumlin and the other 100 players on the Texas A&M roster prove that all of this wasn’t just the Johnny Manziel show and that A&M as a program can contend for years to come. 

Eds. Note: This is a guest column submitted to The Battalion on Monday afternoon. Read the response here.

As I laid there at 3:30 a.m. on June 16, observing a barrage of Twitter and Facebook “hate” feeds targeting Johnny Manziel, a burning urge in the pit of my stomach compelled me to give my thoughts on this entire fiasco stemming from Manziel’s tweet.

Since my childhood, I was captivated by Texas A&M and the Aggie tradition and love that Aggies such as my father, had for their school. It had been a lifelong dream of mine to attend A&M and last year that dream became a reality when I transferred in. From a football standpoint, it could not have been a more exciting time to be an Aggie. As many Aggies know, our beloved school had been in a “football drought” for many years. The Aggie football program was the butt of all jokes, not having a consistency of good years since my father’s time in school during the Jackie Sherrill days. However, 2012 brought with it a completely new chapter: the move to the Southeastern Conference, a new coach in Kevin Sumlin and an unbelievable talent in Johnny Manziel.

Out of the aforementioned mix came the magic which was the 2012 Aggie Football Season. Recently, however, many have seemed to forget how far we have come and to whom much of this credit is do. I find it necessary to bring to light a few matter of fact points to put any issues and concerns to rest about our quarterback and fellow Aggie, Johnny Manziel.

It seems that Manziel’s success has been overshadowed by the stardom that has followed him. Now, media and fans follow his every move. They critique anything from his travel to his tweets. His life has been turned upside down to the point where the guy can’t even attend classes on campus without being bombarded by his fellow students. Then, when the solution is to take online classes we bash him for it. Nor can we forget the constant bashing he gets for his sporting event appearances, or hunting trips, or how about concert appearances? If God has blessed a person financially because of a family’s hard work, can we be so jealous or judgmental as to frame this as a character flaw? Should it even be any of our concern? Shame on us. Shame on anyone who has the nerve to be as judgmental as they have been without truly knowing an individual for who he is. After Saturday night’s Twitter blurt I feel it necessary to address why it is I’m writing.

I’m writing about this issue to defend a fellow Aggie for the simple reason that I too had doubts about how much of an ego I thought he had. That all changed this last Thursday when I met Johnny the person.

I had just gone back to my apartment to take care of some paperwork at the front office. There I ran into two girls I knew, apparently waiting for an opportunity to take a picture with Johnny who happened to be at our pool. Agreeing to take their photo when he got back, we waited. Several minutes later he came back helping a friend carry a cooler and some sodas and just as he’s breaking ice the girls interrupt for a photo op. Although caught off guard, he took a quick second for the picture.

Being the day of the Spurs-Heat Game 4 of the Finals and knowing he was a LeBron fan, I jokingly apologized about the Tim Duncan jersey I was wearing while taking the photo.

I met Johnny completely by chance and our conversation about the NBA Finals couldn’t have lasted over a minute but it was at that point I saw the kid that I think most people don’t see. He was by the pool with his buddies like the rest of us, trying to enjoy some sunshine but every other minute bothered by people for a picture. Not only was he genuine, but you could tell the man wanted his life but also hates ever feeling like he’s disappointing his peers. It’s a quality that makes him down to earth. I’d like to see anyone gain the fame he has and be nearly as grounded.

It’s unbelievable how quickly perceptions can change about a person based on social media, etc. In regards to his most recent tweet that seems to have gained so much attention all I can say is, lay off. Mistakes are bound to happen, especially over Twitter. He has nothing against Aggieland or his school, but simply the drama that fans and media can cause. I think he said it best, “... please walk a day in my shoes.” I guarantee if anyone did they’d have a little more decency than to put our friend on blast the way they have.

And Johnny, if you come across this know that any true Aggie has your back. From a football standpoint, sure there is a lot to thank you for, but at the end of the day you’re an Ag like the rest of us and I hope the rest see that as well, and I mean that as a friend and brother.