Johnny Manziel has brought an avalanche of attention to the Cleveland Browns, and Ben Tate has had just about enough of it.
Speaking to reporters Tuesday after another day of Johnny Football frenzy, the Browns running back told the group that he believes the rookie quarterback has gotten too much attention too early in his career.
“I feel like it,” Tate said, via ESPN.com. “He hasn’t played a down in the NFL yet. So … I don’t know … That’s for y’all to figure out.”
Manziel has yet to leave the spotlight since the Browns took him with the 22nd overall pick in this year’s draft, as his every move — from where he parties on the weekends to where he sits on airplanes — has been extensively chronicled.
Tate added that if he were Manziel, he would grow tired of the constant coverage.
“It’s just as a player, I know that I would get tired if people were constantly monitoring if I picked my nose, if I spit to the left or right,” Tate said. “I mean, it’s annoying. He’s a human being.”
Tate, who likely will compete for the starting running back job after three seasons with the Houston Texans, defended his comments later that day on Twitter.
[tweet https://twitter.com/BenTateRB/statuses/473627371850178560 align=’center’]
[tweet https://twitter.com/BenTateRB/statuses/473627581468905472 align=’center’]
While Tate himself won’t have to worry about the media following his every move, it’s hard to envision any end to the Manziel hype before he takes the field in the fall.
Photo via Twitter/@ESPNCFB
