Ex-Tiger Charles Barkley: Johnny Manziel might make me root for Tide

Charles Barkley has a dilemma.

The basketball Hall of Famer played his college ball at Auburn, which automatically makes him a fan of any team playing Alabama in any sport.

But that could change Saturday when the Crimson Tide faces Texas A&M.; While that may seem unfathomable, Barkley does have a solid reason.

He just can’t stand Aggies quarterback Johnny Manziel.

“Johnny Manziel, he’s doing something I never thought was possible. He’s going to make me root for Alabama this weekend,” Barkley said in a radio interview on Tuesday. “I never thought I would say those words. I am so close to saying ‘Roll Tide.’ Johnny Manziel is annoying me so much. I’m really close to saying ‘Roll Tide.’”

It’s not hard to understand Barkley’s situation. Just think of how you feel when your favorite team is facing your top fantasy player. Or when a win by a team you hate with a passion will actually benefit the team you root for.

Or when the college that has your jersey hanging in the rafters is playing a team whose star quarterback “has done a lot of stupid stuff in the last three or four months,” according to Barkley.

Still, if the current NBA analyst does decide to roll with the Tide just this once, he realizes the Auburn faithful may not be too understanding.

“They’re not going to be happy,” said Barkley, who tried to put his view into perspective by comparing Johnny Football to another star who has been getting even more headlines lately for her outrageous behavior. “But let me tell you something. Johnny Manziel, oh my God, the only thing saving Manziel is Miley Cyrus.”

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