ESPN partner site The Undefeated appears to have edited out an opinion criticizing Johnny Manziel in a comparison to Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston.
Tampa Bay wide receiver Louis Murphy gave a lengthy quote hammering Manziel for the piece–which was titled, “THE CONTINUED MATURATION OF JAMEIS WINSTON“–but it was taken out before the final draft. (PHOTOS: Check Out The Model Manziel Scooped Up During Unemployment)
From CBS Sports:
“That’s just how the media plays it; you would think Johnny Manziel is this freaking great kid, but he’s f–ing terrible,” Murphy said, according to Kennedy. “Jameis didn’t do half of the s— that [Johnny] has done. And I’m sorry, excuse my language, but I’m just passionate about it.
“It really frustrates me to see the media try to make a guy out to be a bad person, just because of the color of his skin. That’s not right. If you’re a different color, it’s like, ‘Oh, it’s not a big deal.’ But if you’re a black kid who makes a mistake or gets falsely accused, they’re going to make it seem like the kid is terrible.
“This dude didn’t do nothing wrong. He was a 19-year-old kid in college who made some of the same little mistakes that everybody else made. But because the color of his skin, he gets labeled a bad person and that stigma rides with him. Meanwhile, Johnny Manziel beat a woman, [did] drugs and was in and out of rehab, and you barely hear about it. It’s a story for a day and then it’s gone. I’m tired of that.”
The author of the Winston piece, Alex Kennedy, shared the full quote on Twitter. The tweet has since been deleted, but Deadspin captured it in a screenshot. (SLIDESHOW: This Gorgeous Woman Might Be The Sexiest Girlfriend In The NFL)
Murphy’s criticism is especially suspect considering the fact that Winston was at one time investigated for rape, and has had multiple other problems with the law. (SLIDESHOW: This
Kennedy and ESPN haven’t given a reason for why the criticism of Manziel was pulled.
