Tony Casillas Compares Johnny Manziel to Brian Bosworth

Aug 31, 2013; College Station, TX, USA; Texas A

Tony Casillas and Brian Bosworth have never gotten along. They might have mellowed on each other as they grew older, but from the time they played together in the Oklahoma Sooners’ mighty defenses of the ‘80s, the two men had few kind words to share about one another. It seems like Casillas is still not above throwing an occasional jab at his old teammate.

There is a brand new sports radio channel in Oklahoma called The Franchise, taking over the 107.7 spot on the FM dial that formerly hosted a classic rock channel. Tony Casillas talked with his former Oklahoma Sooners’ head coach Barry Switzer on The Franchise on Thursday.

When Barry Switzer made a comment about Johnny Manziel on an ESPN radio show, he let the world know how little he thought of the Texas A&M Aggies Heisman winning quarterback.

This all came while talking about Manziel’s unsportsmanlike conduct penalty when he signed an autograph in the air in the direction of an opposing player after a touchdown. This came after Manziel had to sit out the first half for allegations that he signed autographs for money, making it a very boneheaded move. His coach, Kevin Sumlin, had words for Manziel as he came off the field but the quarterback kept walking without acknowledging his coach’s words.

Sumlin defended his quarterback, saying that if Johnny Manziel had of said anything in response, it would have been a bad situation because what he said to Manziel required no response.

Barry Switzer said what he would have done if he were Kevin Sumlin.

“I wanted to jerk his facemask and I wanted to grab him up and of course you get fired for doing that,” Switzer said. “But in the old days you could get away with it.”

Tony Casillas responded to this comment on his radio show on Thursday.

“I remember I played with Brian Bosworth and there was a lot of times that I really felt like there had been a situation where either an assistant coach or head coach could’ve filtered him because he was out of hand,” Casillas said. “I understand where you’re going with that but I look back and the guys like that, for me I think he was a bigger jerk than Johnny Manziel. I knew he was.”

Casillas told Switzer that he should have taken Bosworth by the facemask and told him that he was a cancer to the team, the coaches and the university. Much like Kevin Sumlin, Barry Switzer defended his player.

“There was a Brian Bosworth that came to the University of Oklahoma and redshirted. He was a freshman player as a redshirt, which was his sophomore year–freshman eligibility but sophomore year of school–no one knew who the hell he was,” Switzer said. “He was part of an ’84 defense that you were a part of–great defense, won the Big Eight Conference championship. Well, all of the sudden, he makes a name for himself because he wins the Butkus Award, then The Boz is born, the media helped create The Boz.

“Brian Bosworth graduated in three-and-a-half years, he was dean’s list every semester, had a 3.5, started on his masters, never was a DUI, never was drunk, never was arrested, didn’t do drugs, didn’t do anything that reflected on team other than being a great player on the field. But he danced for the media. He said outlandish things.”

When Tony Casillas brought up the controversial NCAA shirt that Brian Bosworth wore when he was suspended from the national championship game for failing a drug test, Switzer admitted that was when he kicked Bosworth off the Oklahoma Sooners football team. But then Switzer emphasized that it was that escapade that got Bosworth in trouble and never anything that he did on the field while playing the game.

That is the difference between Brian Bosworth and Johnny Manziel, at least in Barry Switzer’s eyes.