It’s hard being a celebrity. I’m sure it is for guys like Johnny Manziel, Michael Jordan,Tiger Woods, LeBron James and A-Rod. There is a big hassle to it; but there are also a lot of perks. You probably don’t have to buy too many dinners at many places, though the four pro guys I mentioned can buy about 30 restaurants and still feed their families lavishly.

But there are guys who seem to handle celebrity better than others. The Mannings have never had any issues and they’ve certainly been glorified. They’ve kept their humility and maintained their work ethic. Same for Tom Brady. LeBron, though he’s said some stupid stuff at times, has never been in any trouble with  the law that we know of. A-Rod, though he is highly suspected and already admitted he did steroids, has never been in trouble with the law. Tiger, as bad as he is fidelity-wise– and I’m not forgiving that by any means–has never gotten in any trouble with the law.

But there is more to it than just staying out of trouble. It’s more about being a good person and being a role model. Like Peyton, Eli and Brady are. They know the importance of projecting themselves in a positive light. A lot of kids are looking up to all these guys. So is it too much to ask to act right and be a good role model? I wholeheartedly disagreed with Charles Barkley’s statement that athletes aren’t role models. Of course they are. There is no doubt about that.

I’ve heard the excuse for Manziel that he’s a 20- year old and there is some truth to that. But at the same time, he’s experienced a lot of success and been praised heavily by people all over the country. He needs to realize he’s a very lucky guy. It’s really not that hard to be responsible and be a good person. I’ve never thought it was. These elite athletes are under the microscope, but they are under the microscope because they have great lives. There are many people working in the factories, steel mills and coal mines among other places, who would give away their favorite dog to have the kind of life these guys lead.

I tried to interview Michael Jordan one time when I was working as a reporter in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and he just wouldn’t give me any time. He would come back to play with the UNC college players in the summer–this was 1988– and I worked my backside off to just to get 20 minutes with the guy. His excuse was, “I just did an interview with GQ, I don’t want to do any more interviews.” Whatever.

So I asked him if there was another way we could do it. He said to write out the questions and put it in the Carolina coaches’ box and he’d see what he could do. I wrote out about 15-20 questions and got no response. He was pretty nice about not giving me the interview, but man show some decency and answer the questions. Anyway, it was fine. He’s a decent guy and the greatest basketball player of all time. But does it really take much effort to answer questions for 15 minutes, especially when they’re all positive about you?

That’s what Manziel says. It’s hard being me. Live in my shoes for a day. I know there is pressure, but it’s good pressure. You’re glorified by everybody in the country. There’s some jealousy out there for sure, but you have a pretty good life. All those guys, Tiger, LeBron, A-Rod and Manziel need to appreciate their lives and just act appropriately. I just don’t find that that difficult when you have all the money you’ll ever need and an incredible life.

Manziel doesn’t have that kind of money yet, but if he keeps himself out of trouble and plays the type of football he’s capable of playing, he’s got a chance to make an extremely good living in the NFL. I’m not sold that he’ll be an elite level NFL quarterback, but he can certainly make a good living as a backup or even as a starter, which he can certainly do.That doesn’t seem to me to be that hard to understand. He just needs to get a grip on that and realize his future will be determined by the way he conducts himself on and off the field this year. I hope he does.