New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady joined a lengthy line of current and former professional athletes who have been asked their thoughts about Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel, or at least one aspect of the sophomore Heisman Trophy winner's tabloid existence.
In an interview on CNBC's Squawk Box on Wednesday, Brady was asked about Manziel's "showboating." Manziel was flagged for a personal foul last week against Rice for engaging in too much chatter with a Rice defender, and after serving a first-half suspension for NCAA satisfaction, made a couple of hand gestures that have been alternately criticized and defended publicly by various sports figures.
While not specifically referring to Manziel, Brady noted that "if you're a turd, it's going to come back to you."
It came at the backend of a response to an awkwardly asked question by host Joe Kernen:
"You're probably going to play against Johnny Football one day. If he starts ... is he young? That's what he is, the showboating, the ... but I don't ever remember ... what's the biggest thing you've ever done in terms of flaunting? I think I've maybe seen a fist pump. That's about it, isn't it?"
Brady's response: "I get pretty emotional. I have a lot of respect for the teammates, for my teammates, for my organization, and certainly for other guys in the NFL. There's not a guy playing in the NFL who hasn't earned the right to be here, and who isn't supremely talented. He's probably been the best athlete in his high school class, in his elementary school class. So when you look across the ball you have respect for those guys, and you treat them with respect because football's a physical game. And as RKK (Patriots owner Robert Kraft, who made a live studio appearance on the show) would say, if you're a turd, it's going to come back to you."
Brady appeared a little nervous as the final sentence left his mouth. It could have been the audience he knew he was speaking to or that that he knew his quote might be directly associated with Manziel, who will play his first full game of the season Saturday against visiting Sam Houston State.
Brady is the latest high-profile person to speak out on Johnny Football. The most recent football notables to take the water-cooler talk to the microphone include former Oklahoma coach Barry Switzer, NFL free agent safety Jordan Babineaux, and Super Bowl MVPJoe Flacco. No fewer than half a dozen former Heisman winners have commented publicly, as well.
Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter @ChaseGoodbread.
