The reaction to a Texas trooper bumping into and confronting South Carolina’s Nyck Harbor following a touchdown against Texas A&M last weekend was nearly universal. Most condemned the officer for his unnecessary actions, and he was sent home from the game shortly after.
One person willing to offer a defense for the officer was former Aggies quarterback Johnny Manziel.
The Heisman Trophy winner appeared on Nightcap with Shannon Sharpe and Chad Ochocinco and said he understood the frustration, given that undefeated A&M was down 27-3 in the first half at that point.
“I think we were just a little frustrated in that first half,” Manziel said. “He breaks off that long touchdown. Around here in these parts, partner, we protect this house. We paid a lot of money for this house. Get out of my tunnel, boy. Get back on the field. So he gave him a little something. Let him know what’s up. To be honest, it didn’t give us much of a spark.”
On the play in question, Harbor followed up an 80-yard touchdown by running halfway into the tunnel. Several Gamecocks teammates joined him in the tunnel. As the players were returning to the field, a Texas state trooper walked up and bumped into Harbor and teammate Oscar Adaway III. The trooper then turned and pointed at the players while also yelling at them.
South Carolina took a 30-3 lead into halftime, but Texas A&M stormed back in the second half en route to a 31-3o comeback victory for the ages.
While Manziel wasn’t as offended by the officer’s decision as others, he did later add that it was “wrong” and that his actions don’t represent Aggies fans as a whole.
“Listen, majority of the time you don’t see a lot of that from A&M people,” Manziel said. “You don’t see it from Aggies. It is a small gesture that, of course, in the day and age we live in, it’s on TV and recorded and blasted everywhere. I’m sure the guy obviously feels bad about it. I’m sure it’s one of those moments.”
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.