Manziel Mania

Johnny Manziel's wild Austin weekend: Kicked out of one frat party, welcomed to another

The interwebs are all atwitter with sightings of Texas A&M sophomore quarterback Johnny Manziel in Austin over the weekend.

According to social media, Manziel got kicked out of a frat party at the University of Texas in Austin on Friday. Curry Shoff uploaded a video on YouTube showing a person he says is Manziel in a pink shirt dodging debris on his way out of a patio party.

In the video, onlookers shout obscenities and there's light applause as the person purported to be Manziel exits the party through a gate. Deadspin is already on the case, digging up Twitter evidence to tie Manziel to the Austin party scene on the night in question.

In addition to tweets from Shoff (which blast Manziel for drinking Keystone Light), University of Texas student Lydia Messina also claims to have been at the party with Johnny Football.

But it looks like the brothers at Phil Gamma Delta (Fiji) were more accommodating. Deadspin also tracked down Manziel at the Fiji Island party on Saturday where he wasn't asked to leave. But he was oddly wearing a Tim Tebow New York Jets jersey. (See tweets below.)

Meanwhile, Manziel's Twitter feed had been silent since July 18, when he thanked his fans and fellow Aggies for their support in the wake of his dismissal from the Manning Passing Academy. It was rumored that Manziel was too hungover to participate in the elite camp run by Archie, Cooper, Peyton and Eli Manning. Manziel denied that characterization, claiming he simply overslept.

Manziel broke his 10-day Twitter fast on Sunday to share a snarky message with his 400,000 followers.

Last time I checked double digit win columns and championships are what matters.

— Johnny Manziel (@JManziel2) July 28, 2013

In light of his recent party choices, one has to wonder whether or not Manziel's longhorn tattoo is really fake after all.

@UTexas17 just saw Johnny Manziel at Fiji frat party. Guess he still wants to be a longhorn \m/ #hookem pic.twitter.com/u2yLjzC2Zx

— Sydney Davis (@sdavy23) July 27, 2013

pic.twitter.com/PRe3LGP3lu

— Maddie McFarland (@maddz_mc) July 27, 2013

CultureMap's Clifford Pugh contributed to this report.

Aggies quarterback Johnny Manziel was spotted at a University of Texas frat party on July 26.

Johnny Manziel Texas A&M football player making a face

Johnny-Manziel.com

Aggies quarterback Johnny Manziel was spotted at a University of Texas frat party on July 26.

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Texas sports team unite to support legalized online gambling

Photo by Michelle Watson/CultureMapSnap

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The movement to legalize online sports gambling in Texas gained some additional momentum thanks to a new report showing it could add billions to the Texas economy.

The report comes from Eilers & Krejcik, a boutique research firm that specializes in the gaming industry. According to the report, the state could see $2.6 billion in additional annual economic activity, with another $24.3 million in tax revenue. It could also add up to 8,000 jobs.

Orlando Sanchez, former Harris County Treasurer and Houston City Council Member, has gone on record saying legalizing online sports gambling would benefit Texas.

“By legalizing sports betting in the Lone Star State, we could generate additional tax revenue – that doesn’t include taxing Texans more, which could be used to fund a variety of public projects while keeping Texans safe and giving us the chance to choose whether or not we want to legalize sports betting by putting it on the ballot,” he told Texas Insider.

Nearly all the major sports teams in the state back the move toward legalized sports gambling. Members of the Sports Betting Alliance, which is advocating for legislation to allow online sports betting, includes the Houston Texans, Dallas Cowboys, Houston Rockets, San Antonio Spurs, Houston Astros, Texas Rangers, and the Houston Dash. Former governor Rick Perry serves as one spokesperson for the organization.

Texans owner Cal McNair and Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta issued a joint statement in February 2023 supporting sports gambling.

”The Houston Texans support giving Texans the opportunity to choose for themselves if they want a regulated and taxed sports betting industry in Texas,” said McNair. “We think a legal and regulated betting industry is best for our fans and partners and would protect the integrity of competition.”

“Sports betting is a very popular form of entertainment,” said Fertitta. “Sports fans enjoy placing bets on their favorite sports because it brings them closer to the team and puts them in the game. No one wins with an illegal market as robust as the one in Texas.”

Houston soccer teams Dash and Dynamo also issued a brief statement following the release of the study.

“As the popularity of sports betting grows across the US, the Houston Dash and Dynamo align with efforts to bring this unique opportunity to soccer fans in Houston.”

Sports betting legislation has faced an uphill battle thanks to Governor Greg Abbott. The governor has been very against expanding gambling in Texas throughout his administration, blocking attempts of native tribes to expand electronic bingo halls, additional casino construction being pushed by Miriam Adelson, and even research trips by Texas officials to study expanded gambling. Though Abbott has seemingly softened on his stance, he remains wary of gambling fostering economic hardship in the state.

Texas is one of only 11 states in the union that has not legalized sports gambling. The American Gaming Association estimates sports gambling has contributed to $40.8 billion in tax revenue and created 1.8 million jobs across the country.

However, there has also been a marked spike in gambling addiction since 2018 when the app-based sports gambling boom started. Heads of several problem gambling centers report increased hotline calls and more severe problems such as bankruptcies and foreclosures related to sports gambling.

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