Johnny Manziel brings story of addiction to Alabama students | Goodbread

I got to the Bryant Conference Center 45 minutes early Monday, because Johnny Football.

One of the most dynamic college quarterbacks of a generation was coming to one of the sport's most football-crazy campuses — a campus where former Texas A&M star Johnny Manziel authored the biggest win of his career, no less — so why wouldn't the size of the crowd befit that? Old rock stars past their primes still fill rooms playing oldies hits, and for two seasons from 2012-2013, Manziel was a rock star in a helmet .

GOODBREAD: Alabama offense won't look like Washington's right away

GOODBREAD MAILBAG: Readers looking for answers on 2024 Alabama football

About 20 minutes before he was to come on, there weren't more than two dozen people gathered, nearly all of them male Alabama students. The sound of them cracking open sodas echoed in the Bryant Conference Center's massive main room, Sellers Auditorium. The sodas, and snacks, were free. So was hearing Manziel speak. And as if that wasn't enough of a lure, those in attendance could also earn Greek Points, a UA initiative that encourages students in the Greek system to interact more with non-Greek organizations.

Then it hit me.

Few who need to talk about addiction ever want to.

Manziel didn't himself, when he began reeling out of control with substance abuse just as his Johnny Football persona was making him not only the game's most exciting player, but a transcendent celebrity as well.

Certainly, nobody in the room looked like an addict. Clean-cut, well-dressed kids, mostly, but addiction can dress well, too. Students got a Q&A session with Manziel after his monologue. Some were clearly there to just be in the presence of a guy they marveled at as children — one said his ninth birthday party at Bryant-Denny Stadium was ruined by Manziel's legendary win there in 2012 — but others asked some hard-hitting questions about his addiction and recovery. Chances are, quite a few of them needed to take his comments to heart. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism estimates that 14% of college students meet the criteria for AUD (alcohol use disorder). It's probably higher, of course, and that doesn't even count drug abuse; Manziel acknowledged consuming far too much of both.

The 29-24 win that Manziel authored over Alabama in 2012 largely gave birth to the phenomenon of Johnny Football. He pointed an index finger toward nearby Bryant-Denny Stadium, and said as much himself.

"Really a day that changed my life. Going into that stadium, I was very much an average college football player, a somewhat normal college football student. And when I walked out of there my life was never the same," Manziel said. "One day, one game, changed my life forever and brought a wave of fame that at the time I felt like I loved. … Boy, did life take a different turn for me eventually."

Around 100,000 people showed up that night to witness the Manziel magic that eventually proved fleeting. Substance abuse derailed his NFL career — as a first-round draft pick, he was cut by the Cleveland Browns after just two seasons — and spiraled him into thoughts of suicide by November of 2016.

That was the first football season he didn't have football to fool people anymore.

Or fool himself.

There was a time when Manziel, now 31, could charge big money just for his autograph, and did just that. His speaking fee is no doubt hefty — according to allamericanspeakers.com, it runs from $30,000-$50,000 — but not a dime was extracted from Monday night's crowd. Not to attend, not even to get a photo with him afterward. Manziel spoke for 12 minutes before taking questions in an open mic Q&A session.

He wore all black, from his blazer and T-shirt to his pants and boots, but these days, he's trying his best to wear a white hat. He talked about ego and fame and depression and self-medication. About surrounding himself with "yes men" who enabled some of his worst decisions. About the people he hurt and the career he threw away. The event was sponsored by VitAL, a UA partnership with various state agencies to promote good mental health, behavioral wellness, and prevent substance abuse.

"As much as I loved football, and as much as I was great at it, I think there was something else in high school and college that I got really good at, and that was partying," Manziel said. "For me, when things started to go bad in my football life, I turned to that something else I was really good at."

I was glad to notice, a few minutes into his speech, that last-minute arrivals had nearly filled the room. My eyeball estimate was 200 students, and so was that of a conference center staffer. If NIAAA statistics are accurate, around 28 of them had an alcohol problem, and who knows how many more struggle with drugs.

Twelve years ago, Manziel came to Tuscaloosa to play ball in front of 100,000 fans. Monday night, he was back to speak to just one.

One addict. One struggling student, he hopes, who could be reached.

One campus at a time.

Tuscaloosa News columnist Chase Goodbread is also the weekly co-host of Crimson Cover TV on WVUA-23. Reach him at cgoodbread@gannett.com. Follow on X.com @chasegoodbread.

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Johnny Manziel speaks to Alabama students on dangers of addiction