Rece Davis Isn't Buying Johnny Manziel's Excuse For Skipping College GameDay

Manziel claimed a case of norovirus kept him from making it on set

ESPN’s Rece Davis thinks Johnny Manziel’s explanation for no-showing on College GameDay last week is a load of nonsense.

Davis and the crew went to College Station to preview a CFP matchup between the Miami Hurricanes and Manziel’s alma mater, the Texas A&M Aggies. Seemed like a slam-dunk event for one of the school’s most famous graduates to be at.

Instead, Manziel claimed to have contracted norovirus and issued a statement the following day defending himself tooth and nail.

Most people didn’t fall for it, as they quickly realized Manziel was at the Jake Paul-Anthony Joshua fight the night before. Maybe he had norovirus then, but most people weren't buying it.

One of those people was Davis, who went on the "ESPN College GameDay Podcast" with reporter Pete Thamel to call bull on Manziel’s explanation.

"When you go to a fight like that, you've got to be very careful about where you eat breakfast the next morning because it can leave you ill and give you difficulty in reaching the locales where you are scheduled to be," Davis said. "But I digress."

"Is that a false narrative, Rece? Are you perpetuating a false narrative?" Thamel asked.

"I'm just saying, I just wondered, is that what the kids are calling it these days? A bad breakfast? Anyway, wouldn't cast aspersions anywhere," Davis replied. "For those that follow closely, you'll be able to read between the lines there."

Whatever Davis thinks actually happened is irrelevant. He’s right to be skeptical of Manziel’s explanation.

After all, Johnny Manziel has never exactly been a sterling example of self-control.

College GameDay will next appear at the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1. Let’s hope whatever guest it has lined up doesn’t suddenly come down with norovirus beforehand.

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John Simmons graduated from Liberty University hoping to become a sports journalist. He’s lived his dream while working for the Media Research Center and can’t wait to do more in this field with Outkick. He could bore you to death with his knowledge of professional ultimate frisbee, and his one life goal is to find Middle Earth and start a homestead in the Shire. He’s still working on how to make that happen.