Review: ‘Untold: Johnny Football’ – a must-watch!

Bad Boys and Untold Stories: The Rise and ‌Fall of Johnny “Football” Manziel

Bad boys used to​ matter ⁢in⁤ American entertainment. ​Eminem, who now has lawyers send ‌Vivek Ramaswamy ​moralistic cease and‌ desist letters, was once a bad boy. Rap was⁤ the last bad boy scene; ⁤speaking indecorously of​ the fair sex‍ was like saying hello. Actors would‌ also say‍ crazy things or get into fights. This was true ⁣of sports, too. ⁣Allen⁣ Iverson was the bad boy ‍of the ‌NBA in the ’90s; now we admire Steph ⁣Curry.

Still, we do like ⁢a ⁣scandal, even though we’re more moralistic these ⁣days ‍about it, so here’s one ​that matters to me. Untold, the Netflix sports ⁤documentaries series, has new stories this year, one on YouTube⁣ celebrity-turned-boxer Jake ⁤Paul, another on Florida​ Gators⁤ coach Urban Meyer, and a third on ​drugs ⁢scandals in sports. Quite a‌ variety of things ⁢calculated‍ to get attention. But the ⁢one I want you to watch ​is on Johnny “Football” Manziel, the ‌Heisman-trophy ‍winning, multiple college-football record-setting QB drafted as the‌ 22nd overall pick in 2014 ⁣by the Cleveland Browns.

Almost nobody⁢ has heard⁤ about Manziel in almost a decade, ‍but back then he ⁣was national news. What happened? He flamed ‌out of the NFL‍ inside of two seasons; nobody would sign him after he‍ spectacularly failed with the Browns. He dropped into Canadian football after that, only to⁣ be banned. ⁢It was a very quick self-destruction for Manziel​ and ⁤seems permanent. Reversals⁤ of fortune, almost as much as absence of redemption, are of great importance⁣ to us.

Manziel learned ‍football in Kerrville, ‌Texas—a state that is ‌all about football.‌ Tivy ‌High⁢ School makes it happen, by regular, unremitting military training.‍ You could think of it⁣ as an ⁣attempt to tame the savage cowboys. It doesn’t always ‍work. You must remember that high school and even college football have next to ‍no defense, so Johnny was ⁢almost a thing of magic,​ a ‍young ‌man who ran, jumped, escaped tackles, ⁢threw, could do anything but fly.⁤ He put up⁤ great numbers and‍ made the game incredibly exciting.⁤ What is freedom but achieving the impossible?

At ‌Texas A&M, Manziel quickly became a celebrity. He was the first⁤ freshman to win the​ Heisman ‌trophy. Johnny was mad, and he made Texas mad.​ Texas is football-mad, which made Johnny ​even⁢ more mad. Everyone wants to touch the ⁣miracle. It’s remarkable how, the moment you get to the top of the ⁤world, there’s always a crowd. Booze was everywhere and so were young⁤ women. There is something innocent in the young ​man enjoying this success, which feels​ like a ⁢divine ‌gift. There’s also something innocent in the people‍ idolizing Johnny Football. Manziel hung out with celebrities and made the news around the⁤ country; he made vast sums of ‍money selling autographs. He was briefly admitted among⁣ the golden gods of America, ⁤and life seemed very⁢ much a paradise. He learned‍ gradually to lie ‌to everyone​ so he‌ could do what ⁢he wanted⁣ while ⁣looking respectable enough to continue his career.

The consequences, of course, are catastrophic. Bad boys are so attractive precisely because they’re​ reckless, and⁢ we⁤ secretly hope to see what happens when they‌ break through the ‌limits of ordinary ⁤life. Johnny was first beautiful, then terrible, but for one and the same reason, because he lived out the American rebellion ​against⁤ reality. ⁢For one moment, ‌Johnny wanted to turn pro and worked hard at it, ‍seeming to obey the rules, but failed. This is what you’re supposed to be in America, a professional,‌ reliable, in control of your fears and desires. Professionals, however, are not men. ⁤They’re not their own masters, ⁢but instead ‌liable for quite ​a bit and defined by their ⁢obedience. But‌ bad boys are also not men, since they have childish urges. Johnny liked ‌beauty, ‌but‍ not decency—there is something humiliating in the obedience required by modern⁢ life. His father blames college for not making⁣ a man of him. You can blame ​social media.

The Johnny Football show ⁣is ⁢impressive because there’s no one ​who can‌ control this out-of-control young​ man.⁢ He attempted suicide after turning to⁣ drugs and⁤ scandal, but failed at ​that as well. It’s ⁣shocking. He ⁢somehow survived. He⁤ turned 30 making this documentary. Talking to a camera, ‌you​ can watch him say about himself the sorts of things people‍ used to say. He seems an adult, because he talks like⁣ we expect him‍ to talk. That’s the most shocking‍ thing of‌ all—now ⁣he seems normal.

The ‍beauty of young men means nothing in America today. It was never so previously—we always saw something wonderful ‌in the growing‌ strength and confidence of a new generation. The young man ⁢was perhaps our exemplar of freedom. So many technologies required ⁤young⁢ men⁢ to pilot them, too, all the way to ⁤the moon.⁣ Maybe football ​is the last avenue to⁢ see such beauty and danger, success and suffering. I ‌finally understand why men ⁢like college football and why ⁢they were enthusiastic about ‌Johnny Manziel, so I suppose ‍I ⁣am myself middle-aged now. We’re all ​hoping​ America ⁢can create ‍and foster such young⁢ men ‍as will make up for our own failing strength.

Untold: Johnny ⁢Football is streaming on⁢ Netflix.

Titus Techera ⁢is the executive director of‍ the American Cinema Foundation‌ and​ a film critic for ​Law & Liberty, the​ Acton Institute’s Religion & Liberty,⁤ and the Free Press.