"The truth is out": Johnny Manziel turns College GameDay no-show backlash into unexpected money-making opportunity

Johnny Manziel might be trying to spin a major misstep that has placed him under scrutiny into a payday. The former Texas A&M quarterback took heavy criticism from fans after ghosting his scheduled guest-picker spot on “College GameDay” for the first round College Football Playoff.

The ESPN pregame show was live in College Station for the Aggies’ matchup against Miami, which eventually ended 10-3 in favor of the Hurricanes. While many fans anticipated seeing the 2012 Heisman Trophy winner at Aggie Park, he disappointed them by not showing up.

Johnny Manziel is now using the unpleasant and awkward situation to promote the betting platform, Kalshi. In a social media post on Thursday, the former Aggie stylishly announced his partnership with Kalshi, captioning it with.

"The truth is out and you can find it on Kalshi," Manziel wrote.

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Manziel highlighted that Kalshi has launched a market allowing users to wager on him and the “College GameDay” show.

“There's been plenty of speculation lately,” Manziel said. “I'm good with ESPN. I'm good with McAfee. If you want to keep guessing, you can now do it officially. Thanks to Kalshi, you can trade on whether or not I’ll be back on College GameDay in 2026. “The market currently gives me a 34% chance of being back on set next season. If you think that number’s low, take the other side. To the Aggie fans – big things coming in ‘26. I'm bullish on Texas A&M football and excited for what's ahead. Happy New Year.”

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Johnny Manziel’s apology after his failure to appear on College GameDay

Johnny Manziel posted on his Instagram Story on Dec. 21, a day after the playoff first-round game, to address his absence from “College GameDay.” He offered sincere apologies to the show, its crew, and Texas A&M fans after reportedly coming down with an illness.

“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. “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.”

According to his spokesperson, Johnny Manziel came down with a severe case of norovirus the night before the show, something he contracted while visiting family earlier in the week. Former Texas A&M basketball standout Alex Caruso quietly stepped up as a last-minute substitute.

Edited by Farouk Yusuf