Boardroom chops it up with Johnny Football to talk about what to expect from his series with Almost Friday Media, his best business advice, the college football season, and more.
He’s one of the most memorable players to ever step foot on a college football field. From his dazzling touchdown-scoring highlights to his show-me-the-money celebrations, few have reached the rock-star status Johnny Manziel had while at Texas A&M.
It’s been over a decade since Johnny Football lit up college football fields from College Station to Tuscaloosa, but the 2012 Heisman Trophy winner is still making moves in his post-playing career. On the heels of his announcing that he’s entering the CFB analyst game as a guest contributor to the Action Network’s Big Bets on Campus, Manziel revealed his latest project on Thursday, the launch of his new video series, Glory Daze, in partnership with digital studio and network Almost Friday Media. In the new weekly show set to premiere this fall, Manziel will sit down with big-name athletes to reminisce on some of the most memorable moments in all of sports.
“I’ve been fortunate enough to experience the highest highs and lowest lows that come with being a professional athlete,” Manziel said in a press release. “Now on Glory Daze, with Almost Friday Media, I’ll get the opportunity to sit down with other iconic athletes and help them share their incredible stories. We’ll look back through the lens of the players themselves, giving fans an inside look at the moments they remember and the stories they’ve never heard.”
“The original Friday Beers account was built, in part, around the relatable experience of watching iconic late night highlights with your buddies. This interview series is a natural and exciting evolution of that,” said Jacob Selzer, Head of Sports at Almost Friday Media. “Johnny is the perfect embodiment of the Almost Friday spirit — someone who can speak to the highs of the glory days while authentically destigmatizing challenging conversations around mental health. We couldn’t be more thrilled to have him at the helm of these conversations and as part of the Almost Friday Media family.”
In an exclusive interview ahead of the series announcement, Boardroom caught up with Manziel to learn what fans should expect from him as a host, the best business advice he would give to athletes today, how he feels about the upcoming college football season, and more.
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This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
GRIFFIN ADAMS: You have spent a great deal of your time in the spotlight in your post-playing days, including numerous media appearances on different shows, podcasts, etc. What can people expect out of you as a host in this new show?
JOHNNY MANZIEL: I think, for me, it’s just being able to sit and talk with some people and share some really nostalgic, really legendary stories of college sports. I think that’s a lane that I’m firmly in and something that I’m interested in hearing about for me. The main part and main thing is just sitting down, having some real authentic, genuine talks about life and about sports, as a whole, and the glory days of college.
GA: You mention having authentic and genuine conversations. What is it about this show that will separate it from others out there?
JM: It’s really the only way that I know how to be. So, to sit down and be able to bring a little bit of who I am and try and bring out that and some of these guests as well, I think will be good. That’s kind of what my vision is on it, and I think it’ll bring a new little twist to what you see. I don’t think it’s a cookie-cutter podcast or anything else that you’ll see out there. It’ll have its own unique flare.
It’s really easy for me. I think I’m very open and honest with my story and what’s gone in it, and I think I have an ability to be able to bring that out in people as well and hopefully create a safe space to where guests feel comfortable coming on and being able to share stories like that as well.
GA: Lately, athlete-driven products have taken center stage in the media landscape, Glory Daze included. What do you make of the shift?
JM: I think it’s amazing for the people who have lived in the sports world and really only had to answer questions from the media throughout all the years, really being able to turn the tables on everything and be able to sit on the other side of the table a little bit. We’re seeing it more and more every year, but for example, what Cam Newton’s doing, I really, really enjoy watching 4th & 1 every single week. I think he’s doing a great job of bringing realness and authenticity to the media side of things from a player perspective.
There are a lot more examples than just that. So, to be able to do that as well on my part, it’s something that I’m excited about. I think it’s great to have the athletes, the people who have lived it, the people who have really been immersed in it for many years on a player side, to be able to come back to a media side is a dope thing.
GA: Obviously, the adoption of NIL in college athletics was past your playing career. What are your thoughts on NIL and your role in getting to this point?
JM: It’s awesome to be able to have a part and a piece of paving the way to be able to get to the point to where we are today in NIL sports. These athletes in college are very deserving to be able to capitalize off their name, image, and likeness. I think it’s a system that’s still kind of figuring itself out a little bit, but at the end of the day, it’s amazing to see college athletes with large platforms be able to capitalize on the amazing things they’re doing in sports, no matter what age they’re at. This is the tip of the iceberg when it comes to that, but something that’ll be around for a long, long time, and it’s amazing to see.
GA: What was some of the best business advice that you’ve received that you would pass on to the next generation of superstar college athletes?
JM: The biggest thing you have to do is find something that you’re passionate about and have a purpose behind you and what you want to go do, right? There are a lot of people out there who are doing things that maybe they don’t want to do or this and that. For me, it took me a little bit of time to really find my lane and what I think truly genuinely makes me happy. I think staying in the sports world and staying in something that’s near and dear to my heart is a big thing for me. Something that allows me to get up and get out of bed every day with a smile and a determination behind me to go build something.
I think for people who are in college, you have to find a passion and find what you love to do, and then attack it with a relentless effort and a relentless attitude toward being successful.
GA: What are some of your biggest business aspirations moving forward?
JM: I’m taking it day by day. That’s kind of my approach, my whole mentality to where I’m at in life right now and just seeing where things come. My story is still very much playing itself out. I have a lot of good things on the table — one being this podcast, one being able to share my story a little bit more, and hopefully be able to bring some great stories from other people into the media. For me, I’m just one day at a time, steady-stacking good days and good things around me, and just really hoping for the best when it comes to the business side. I have a good team around me and good people around me that are really helping bring out the best in me.
GA: One endeavor of yours has been your involvement with golf brand Cactus Hack, combining your boardroom savviness with your passion for the growing sport. How has the game of golf helped you in business and in life?
JM: Golf, for me, has been an amazing piece and an amazing hole that was filled for my mental health. Getting outside, being around good people, being around friends, being able to do a lot of business on the golf course as well has been an amazing thing for me. It’s a game that I was always around as a kid, but never really dove into it. Very much so over the last four or five years, I’ve completely immersed myself in a game that allows me to still have a competitive streak like I had during my playing career and during the football days. For me, that’s very much shifted into golf to be able to go out with my friends, have a lot of fun, still battle myself, and battle my own score from a mental and competitive standpoint. It’s something that I think will stick around in my life for a long time.
GA: We’re headed into unprecedented territory with the 2024 college football season. What are you most excited about?
JM: This is the first year we’re going into the bigger-scale Playoff. I think teams have a lot more to play for even after losing — you lose a game here, a game there in the past, you have those slip-ups, and your National Championship aspirations are kind of shattered a little bit. So, to now really have an uber-competitive 12-man Playoff, where teams are going to be fighting to get into that is really, really exciting to me.
I am very much looking forward to a Texas A&M football season that obviously kicks off Saturday with Notre Dame, and I have high hopes for the Aggies. I think this is a big year for us in the SEC with a new coach and trying to break the mold of just being in the middle of the pack a little bit. I think we have the pieces there and the talent there to be able to take the next step. And Saturday’s a good test for us to be able to do that against the No. 7 team in the country. I’m really looking forward to being able to watch that game and seeing how we kick off this season.
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