Saturday's game between Texas A&M and South Carolina took a turn for the bizarre when a Texas state trooper was seen having an awkward and terse moment with two Gamecocks players in the tunnel just before the half.
After South Carolina scored a touchdown late in the second quarter to run up their lead to 26-3, a handful of Gamecocks players ran into the tunnel to celebrate. Cameras caught a Texas state trooper bumping into two of them on their way out of the tunnel, and a brief but heated exchange ensued during which the trooper angrily pointed at one of the players.
The Texas A&M Police Department said in a statement that the state trooper had been relieved of his game day assignment shortly after the now-viral incident, and South Carolina coach Shane Beamer thanked the Aggies for handling the strange situation "the right way" and sending the trooper home.
Former Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel also caught wind of the buzz from Saturday's game and gave his own two cents on the matter.
"I think we're just a little frustrated in that first half. He breaks off that run, runs out the tunnel," Manziel said on the Nightcap podcast with Shannon Sharpe and Chad Johnson. "Around here in these parts, partner, we protect this house. We paid a lot of money for this house. Get out of my tunnel, boy! Get back on the field. He gave him a lil something, let him know what's up... It is a small gesture that of course in the day and age we live in, it's on TV and recorded and blasted everywhere. I'm sure the guy obviously feels bad about it."
Manziel went on to sympathize with Gamecocks wide receiver Nyck Harbor, who appeared to exchange words with the state trooper in the tunnel. "I'm not gonna lie, if I'm in that position too, I'm going to go with the guy. I'm definitely turning around getting in his face and saying something," Manziel continued.
The ex-Aggies quarterback ultimately agreed with Sharpe and Ochocinco that what the state trooper did was unnecessary and wrong, and he praised the school for appropriately dealing with the weird incident.
"He sought it out for sure," Manziel said of the Texas state trooper. "And to be honest, I've had my tiffs with the state troopers and the city police of Bryan and College Station. I will say for the majority of the people in law enforcement in and around this area, this is a very well-policed, very protect the school and protect the people area. ... But that today, what we saw, was wrong for sure. And I think A&M did handle it the right way."
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Johnny Manziel Addresses Texas A&M State Trooper Incident: ‘We Protect This House’.
