HOOVER, Ala. — University of Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron is steering clear of the Johnny Manziel questions.
McCarron fielded plenty of them Thursday at Southeastern Conference Media Days, where his Texas A&M University counterpart faced the spotlight Wednesday.
McCarron and Manziel were roommates at the Manning Passing Academy, where Manziel left early and blamed missing activities on oversleeping.
Asked if he bought that explanation, McCarron said: “I can’t answer on Johnny Manziel’s part. My name’s AJ.”
“Everything that has to do with him, he’s his own man,” the Alabama quarterback said. “I’m not going to speak on another man’s business. That’s how I was raised — if it doesn’t have anything to do with you, don’t speak of it.
“I know how I handle myself in public, how I carry myself in front of people. That’s what I’m worried about, trying to be the best player and best person off the field that I can be for my family and the university.”
For his part, Manziel said McCarron didn’t wake him up for the event but he took responsibility.
“I’m definitely not going to pin it on him,” Manziel said. “It’s my fault — 115, 120 percent.”
LSU quarterback Zach Mettenberger said the Manning camp can be hard to manage for a young player like Manziel.
“It’s tough. There’s social events at night that they have and there’s definitely temptation to do something foolish,” Mettenberger said. “He’s still a 20-year-old kid. He’s been put into a huge spotlight and limelight and it’s tough to handle. Hopefully he’ll learn from this and just become a better person.”
Separate from the Manziel questions, McCarron said he wants to handle himself in a way that makes him a good role model for kids. He said the two didn’t discuss life in the fishbowl as high-profile SEC quarterbacks.
McCarron made a statement with his attire. He wore a bowtie with pink ribbons to media days, saying it was in honor of a cousin who was recently diagnosed with breast cancer.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 43 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.