The Alliance of American Football's newest addition, Johnny Manziel, debuted on Sunday and it went just about as expected. Manziel, who joined the Memphis Express after the San Antonio Commanders passed on acquiring him, had some jawing to do with a Birmingham Iron player when his team was down 19-8. One of the more viral moments came when he was mic'd up, with Johnny Football saying "a lot of time left, you wanna start that way? We can go, I'll turn up on your b---- a--."
The moment was vintage Manziel, who, after the game, praised fellow Express quarterback Brandon Silvers for downplaying the Memphis crowd's "We want Johnny" chants and said he was sick of them, adding, "I'm trying to get my feet back under me."
It was intriguing, and it captured the attention of rapper Eminem, who sent out a tweet in all caps -- much like his rapping cadence -- saying that the AAF should encourage fighting and it's a shame the Manziel situation didn't escalate.
DEAR @THEAAF,
— Marshall Mathers (@Eminem) March 26, 2019
PLEASE ENTERTAIN THIS THOUGHT REGARDING THE @AAFIRON @AAFEXPRESS GAME: ALLOWING THE PLAYERS TO ACTUALLY FIGHT WOULD BE KEY TO LEAGUE’S SUCCESS LIKE HOCKEY, I WOULD WATCH EVERY GAME (EVEN THOUGH THERE IS NO DETROIT TEAM YET - HINT). DON'T BLOW IT.
SINCERELY,
MARSHALL
It shouldn't be surprising that Eminem wants more fighting, but maybe hockey-style isn't the answer. While AAF co-founder and CEO Charlie Ebersol ignored the fighting part, the second part of Eminem's tweet intrigued him.
Detroit is not a bad idea for a future franchise. Let me know if you want in on it.
— Charlie Ebersol (@CharlieEbersol) March 26, 2019
The AAF has mostly stayed out of NFL markets, so it may just be Ebersol gauging celebrity interest.
Manziel also saw Eminem's tweet, and he supported the idea.
I got you 🐐 https://t.co/oNXEErCxHD
— Johnny Manziel (@JManziel2) March 26, 2019
Manziel went 3 of 5 passing for 48 yards and had a pair of carries for 20 yards. But ultimately, Silvers is the one who led the Express to a 31-25 win.
Manziel looked solid in his debut, but clearly Eminem wanted to see more. With that being said, don't bate your breath waiting for fights to come to the AAF. That might be more the XFL's lane.