Johnny Manziel Turned Life Around After Heartfelt Plea From Mom

It wasn’t his love of the game, advice from a coach or a moment of clarity that potentially saved Johnny Manziel’s chance at having a career in the NFL – it was his mom.

In an interview with ESPN, the Heisman Trophy revealed that it was only after his mother Michelle came to him in tears that he was able to truly able to get motivated to turn his life around.

At the time, Manziel was in a self-described “rut” and was repeatedly making the wrong decision even though he knew what the right one was.

Michelle’s plea was what got him out of the rut.

Manziel said: “My mom came to me one day and asked me – she didn’t really ask, she was just in tears – ‘What are you doing with your life? Why do I have to go around and get this secondhand of words and conversations of the negative things you’re doing around the world that’s coming back to me?’ And I saw how bad that it broke her heart, and it sucked. And it really hit home.”