Texas Longhorn Football Player Getting Mocked Over A Video Game

The sports and video game worlds have been a buzz since Electronic Arts (EA) and the NCAA announced the return of college football video games. These games disappeared over a decade ago due to the results of a lawsuit based around name, image, and likeness, or NIL, concerns. Basically former college football players sued that they should have been paid for their likeness being used in the game, but you couldn't pay college athletes at that time.

However, now NIL deals are a totally legal part of college football, which means the games can return.

The way that EA plans to play the players is with $600 and a copy of the new game. If players agree to that deal, they will appear in the game for their school. This deal sounded good enough for over 10,000 players across the country who have already signed up. According to ESPN, this includes some big names, like Colorado superstar Travis Hunter, Georgia quarterback Carson Beck, and Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe.

But that doesn't mean all football players are down with this deal. This week, we got our first big name who has said "no" to his inclusion.

According to numerous reports, that is former Louisiana high school football star, and current Texas backup quarterback Arch Manning.

Now, there are a lot of reports that say things like he wants to "focus on playing football on the field" or something similar. Which is completly ridiculous. The inclusion of Arch in the game doesn't require him to do anything. He's not coding the game, creating the artwork for packaging, or doing anything except getting a check.

But based on the history of the Manning family, and their temper tantrums when it comes to football, there's probably something else at play here.

Arch's uncle Eli Manning, and his grandfather Archie Manning, held the NFL Draft hostage back in 2004. Though many remember Eli as a New York Giant, he was actually selected by the San Diego Chargers in the draft. Even though Eli held a jersey on stage, he refused to put on or show the Chargers hat he was handed. The Manning family told the Chargers that Manning would not play for them. Once the Chargers traded his draft rights to New York, Eli got a Giants jersey and hat, went back up on stage wearing the hat, and did his big photoshoots with his family and the Giants merch.

It now appears that Arch is following in his uncle's footsteps.

Gut reaction to this feels like Arch wants more than $600 and a video game to appear inside the EA product. If EA offered $600,000 instead of $600, you think Arch would still want to "focus" on the field or whatever? No way. This is a money-driven decision.

The internet hasn't taken kindly to the decision either. Because the argument is so flimsy, and everyone can see through what the Manning's are doing again, Arch is getting dragged pretty good.