Boy, it’s great to be back. To those new freshmen, incoming transfers or returning students, I just want to say, welcome to West Texas A&M. You’re in the driver’s seat of your life now, so take advantage of it. Soak in everything that WT has to offer because you are truly at a world-class institution gearing up for one of the most memorable experiences you’ll ever have.

But, take heed to all the dumb stuff you could be doing as well. College is not about doing dumb stuff for some cheap thrills, it’s about finding out about your potential, not only your own, but the potential you could have in others’ lives. In other words, don’t take a page from the summer several big-name sports figures and organizations had.  Alex Rodriguez and twelve other Major League Baseball players cheated and only A-Rod is appealing his subsequent suspension. Then, there’s Aaron Hernandez. The former New England Patriots tight end actually believed that he had created an underground empire in the sleepy suburbs of New England and killed a friend for talking to somebody that he didn’t like. Now, that prima donna is facing a hefty jail sentence for the absurd belief that he was invincible.

Finally, there’s Johnny Manziel. The polarizing sophomore quarterback from Texas A&M, more affectionately called Johnny Football, found himself and his image in one heck of a PR mess this offseason. First, he tweeted about wanting to leave College Station. Then he was relieved of his duties from the Manning Passing Academy last month for sleeping in while some speculate he was hung over. Then, he was kicked out of a party at the University of Texas, A&M’s chief rival. Finally, just as practice was getting underway, it was reported by ESPN that Manziel had charged a five-figure fee in exchange for autographs during the BCS National Championship in South Florida in January, an offense that could revoke his eligibility for the upcoming season.

My plea to our new freshmen: don’t be like this idiot.

Manziel, who won the 2012 Heisman Trophy, is staring in the face of a giant microscope, watching his every move, on and off the field. Yes, he’s 20, and he’s made some mistakes. We all have. He partied a little too hard; he said some things he shouldn’t have, he went somewhere he shouldn’t and he wanted compensation for his services. Speaking in generalities, we’ve all done those things. It’s nature. We make mistakes and learn from them.

Here’s the problem: we are not all Heisman Trophy winners, either. Manziel’s disregard of the sanctity of college football’s most prestigious honor has been awful and I’ve had enough. When a student athlete becomes the starting quarterback for a team, then there are certainly responsibilities that person takes on. He becomes a public figure. To come out of nowhere, beat the Alabama behemoth on their turf and win the Heisman as a freshman, as Manziel did, he becomes a monument, dangling too close to the precipice of obscurity. He could fall into the pit of nothing, or he could maintain his star status and inspire generations behind him. Right now, though, Manziel is proving to be the biggest and most immature child on the college football gridiron.

Johnny Football needs to grow up and own his baggage. He shouldn’t have his dad defend him (which he did) or even Texas A&M University System chancellor John Sharp; Manziel needs to do it himself. He has to admit that, yes, he messed up and is bringing the Heisman name down and then learn from his mistakes. He can’t continue to mess up and hope that we will keep forgiving him. Someday, when we don’t, there he will go, off that cliff I mentioned.

Manziel needs to do this quickly too. There is no denying he is a good talent and a skilled player and those two qualities have NFL teams drooling over his assets. But their saliva could go dry if his off-field issues continue. College football is basically his job interview for the NFL.

Finally, there is another side of this Manziel saga: the fans of Texas A&M. Honestly, quit living in a dream world that you are an elite program. You are this year, sure, because you have a good quarterback. But you’re not Ohio State, Alabama or Notre Dame. This, unfortunately, is the price of relevancy. A&M fans wanted to be relevant and now they are. The honeymoon is over. Time to realize that you, and the rest of us, got excited about a guy that is a terrible role model. Time to realize that you were wrong.

So, again, to our freshmen, don’t copy Manziel. Or Rodriguez or Hernandez. The best advice that I can give you is to learn from your mistakes.

Now, who’s ready for some football?