When Johnny Manziel revealed $3 million move by Aggies coach to keep him at Texas A&M: "My dad had a meeting with Kevin Sumlin"

Few players have been as brash as former Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel. So it came as no surprise when he talked about a secret meeting between his father and then Aggies head coach Kevin Sumlin. We look back at this outrageous claim from Manziel in an interview from February.

Speaking to Shannon Sharpe, Manziel revealed that his father met with Sumlin as the former quarterback was deciding on whether he would enter the Draft or stay at Texas A&M:

"My dad had a meeting with Kevin Sumlin and pretty much went to him man to man and he was like: 'We'll take 3 million bucks and we'll stay for the next two years'".

Manziel added that his father told him Sumlin left right after, so the former quarterback decided to enter the NFL Draft:

"My dad did this without me knowing. And I ain't mad at him about it for nothing. It's the way the business worked back then. There was a 'bag man'. There was a 'bag man' at LSU, there was a 'bag man' at Bama, there was a 'bag man' at every school".

While $3 million might not seem outlandish today, back in 2014 there was no NIL agreement like the one there is now. College players were not allowed to receive incentives or programs could face harsh punishment from the NCAA.

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The highs and lows of Johnny Manziel

Johnny Manziel has been one of the most mercurial figures in football. In 2012, he became the first freshman to win the Heisman Trophy. He passed for 4.114, yards, 37 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions while adding 759 yards with nine scores on the ground. His "money" celebration became iconic and he would be known as "Johnny Football" in the college football world.

However, he was also never far from controversy. In 2013, he was suspended for the first half of a game because he sold autographs. He would later tell Barstool Sports that the autographs netted him $33,000.

As the NCAA did not confirm he had made money at the time, and because there is a four-year statute of limitations, the two-quarter punishment was all the quarterback got. Texas A&M did not receive any sanctions.

After entering the Draft, Manziel was selected by the Cleveland Browns with the 22nd overall pick. His NFL career was a disappointment. In two seasons, he played in nine games, passing for 1,675 yards with seven touchdowns and seven interceptions.

During his time in Cleveland, Manziel developed a reputation for partying hard and had some domestic incidents. He also entered a rehab facility where he was released after 10 weeks.

The last straw came in the final game of the 2016 NFL season. Manziel was out with a concussion but was expected to join the team for a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Instead, Manziel traveled to Las Vegas in disguise. When he was spotted at a casino and the team found out, the quarterback was released. No other NFL team took a chance on him.