Johnny Manziel addresses ESPN ‘College GameDay’ absence after attending Jake Paul-Anthony Joshua fight

Johnny Manziel addressed his “College GameDay” absence in a post on his Instagram Story on Sunday, apologizing to the show and the Texas A&M fan base, though he offered few details as to why he wasn’t there. 

The former Aggies quarterback was scheduled to be the guest picker on the popular ESPN program on Saturday, as it aired live from Kyle Field, but former Aggie Alex Caruso was quietly subbed in and took Manziel’s place.

“I will have plenty more to say about what transpired [Saturday.] There is almost nothing on this earth that would have made me miss that game,” Manziel wrote on social media. “To ESPN, Pat [McAfee], Coach [Nick Saban], Desmond [Howard], and the entire crew on GameDay, I apologize it was out of my control. To the Aggies and A&M fan base I’m sorry. I will continue to let everyone out there run with a fake narrative and at the end of the day perception always wins over reality. I love all of you who genuinely support me through good and bad like you’ve all done for years.

“I have no doubt Texas A&M and the Aggie football program will be in that position again. I’m recovering and feeling about a 3/10 going to rest up and try and get back to normal.”

ESPN has not publicly addressed the situation, and Manziel was also scheduled to do work with Bleacher Report on Saturday, but did not appear there either.

It certainly seemed like the absence caught ESPN off guard as Haleigh Caruso, Alex’s wife, described the morning as “chaos” in a TikTok post. 

“When your husband gets asked to make the game pick last minute so you have to sprint across campus in 4 inch heels,” she captioned the video as images of her and Caruso being ushered across the stadium to the “College GameDay” set played. 

Manziel’s absence created a flurry of online speculation about why he didn’t make his ESPN appearance. 

The ex-QB attended the Jake Paul-Anthony Joshua boxing match the night before in Miami, which he documented on his Instagram. 

Manziel had been a two-year starter at Texas A&M and won a Heisman Trophy in 2012. 

He went on to be drafted by the Browns in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft, but spent just two seasons in the league. 

Manziel had been a guest picker on “College GameDay” back in Week 1 of the 2024 college football season.