Johnny Manziel defends Texas A&M police officer who confronted Nyck Harbor: 'We protect this house'

Johnny Manziel had an unpopular opinion about the Texas A&M police officer who bumped into South Carolina‘s Nyck Harbor on Saturday in College Station. A clip of the moment emerged on social media after Harbor scored an 80-yard touchdown late in the second quarter.

Harbor and a few other South Carolina players ran into the tunnel after scoring. As they came out, the officer bumped into Harbor and Oscar Adaway III, then turned around and pointed his finger at Harbor while yelling something at him.

Most people condemed the officer for his actions, and he was sent home from the game shortly after. However, Manziel offered a different take.

“I think we were just a little frustrated in that first half,” the former Aggies QB said on Nightcap with Shannon Sharpe and Chad Ochocinco. “He breaks off that long touchdown. Around here in these parts, partner, we protect this house. We paid a lot of money for this house. Get out of my tunnel, boy. Get back on the field. So he gave him a little something. Let him know what’s up. To be honest, it didn’t give us much of a spark.”

That touchdown from Harbor put South Carolina up 27-3, and they forced an interception the next drive to tack on a field goal and led 30-3 at halftime. However, the Aggies came out a different team in the second half, holding the Gamecocks scoreless. They went on to complete the comeback and win 31-30 to preserve their undefeated record.

Other prominent figures across sports reacted to the confrontation between the police officer and Harbor. That even included NBA star LeBron James, who called for A&M to take action.

“That A&M cop needs to suspended!” James wrote on X. “That was premeditated and corny AF!! He went out his way to start some sh*t. Do better man.”

Although Manziel didn’t seem to take as much issue as others with the officer’s actions, he added that they don’t represent Texas A&M fans as a whole. He believes that the attention it has received will hopefully allow him to reflect on his actions.

“Listen, majority of the time you don’t see a lot of that from A&M people,” Manziel said. “You don’t see it from Aggies. It is a small gesture that, of course, in the day and age we live in, it’s on TV and recorded and blasted everywhere. I’m sure the guy obviously feels bad about it. I’m sure it’s one of those moments.”