Johnny Manziel’s carefully rebuilt second act is now being tested in a Texas courtroom. Just as the former Texas A&M star has settled into life as a media voice and mentor, he has filed a lawsuit accusing a College Station woman of spreading false claims that he says have begun to damage his reputation and disrupt his business relationships, forcing him to take legal action to protect the progress he’s worked to make.

“Johnny Manziel sues College Station woman for defamation,” reported Senior Texas A&M Sportswriter for KBTXSports, Travis L. Brown. 

According to reports out of Brazos County, Manziel is seeking damages for defamation and tortious interference with business relationships. February 27 marked a key development in the case, when Judge Jerrell Wise granted an expansive emergency Temporary Restraining Order. The court found Manziel faced “probable, imminent, and irreparable injury” without immediate relief, issuing the order without prior notice to the defendant. The ruling restricts the woman from contacting Manziel or speaking publicly about him while the case proceeds.

On February 27, Manziel filed suit in Brazos County district court against MaKenzie Carter, also known as MaKenzie Calame. According to the petition, Carter allegedly spread fabricated stories about him across multiple social media platforms and directly contacted people in his inner circle. The filing states that Manziel “did not communicate with [Carter] before or after her online stories and communications began,” disputing any claim of a relationship.

Manziel also brought a charge against Carter of her emailing the quarterback’s friends, family, and even business associates, claiming that they were in a romantic relationship. The former quarterback is fought his case, claiming it all to be a fictitious story. 

“We’re saddened that we had to go down this route,” Manziel’s lawyer, Aron Hutchins, said in a KBTX interview. “It was just the only option we had left and it was unavoidable to protect Johnny and his friends and family and business associates and all that from continued messages all the time.”

Hutchins emphasized that stopping the conduct, not financial recovery, is the priority. “We also just wanted to stress that the non-monetary relief is the primary concern,” he said. “The behavior is unacceptable, and so that’s the focus here, just getting the conduct to stop and having her leave everybody alone.”

Carter reportedly did not stop in posting “hours’ worth of baseless, unrelated, and entirely fabricated stories” around various social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook. She allegedly went a step further, warning Manziel’s acquaintances that legal action would follow if they “continued” to interfere in what she claimed was her relationship with him.

The petition states at least one business partner paused entering into a deal because of the alleged communications, and that an existing contract was also affected. Manziel is seeking monetary damages of $250,000 or less, along with attorney’s fees and a permanent injunction. He is represented by Aron Hutchins and Padon Holt of Holt & Hutchins, PLLC, along with Cameron Reynolds of the Law Offices of James, Reynolds, Ask & Kleinschmidt.

Meanwhile, an email purportedly from Carter landed in KBTX’s inbox earlier this month. In it, she cautioned the station against airing any stories about her, including alleged AI-altered media, or repeating what she called a “fabricated ‘stalker’ narrative” linking her to Manziel. Ironically, KBTX had not published a single report about her prior to the message.

Defamation disputes have become an all-too-familiar story in college football. Last year, former Texas Longhorns football wideout Isaiah Bond filed a federal lawsuit accusing a woman of making false and coercive s- – – – – assault allegations against him to the Frisco (Texas) Police Department. But the lawsuit did not move forward and was eventually dismissed with prejudice in July 2025. Bond maintains that the encounter was consensual. But the dismissal of the case prevents him from refiling the claim.

The most famous case currently going on, though, is the one with Reggie Bush. The former USC running back filed a defamation lawsuit against the NCAA in August 2023. The suit stems from a 2021 statement put by an NCAA spokesperson who referred to potential “pay-for-play arrangements” regarding the star player. Bush’s lawyers have argued that this has maliciously attacked his character following NIL rule changes. Bush is seeking to restore his reputation and get back his vacated 2005 Heisman Trophy.

Then there was the case involving former Southern Miss quarterback Brett Favre. He filed defamation suits against the Mississippi’s state auditor and media personalities Shannon Sharpe and Pat McAfee in 2023 over claims related to the Mississippi welfare funds scandal. A federal court ended up dismissing the suit against Sharpe in 2024. It ruled that his comments were “rhetorical hyperbole” though other aspects of the litigation have continued.

In this case, the lawsuit notes that Manziel initially chose not to pursue legal action “out of empathy and a genuine concern for Defendant’s well-being,” hoping the conduct would stop voluntarily. It claims escalation left him no choice but to intervene legally. Despite that, for him, the legal drama comes at a time when he has the spotlight on him for the right reasons. 

Johnny Manziel’s journey from legal battle to being a mentor

A decade ago, in 2016, Manziel faced serious allegations after being accused of hitting and threatening his then-girlfriend, Colleen Crowley, during a night out in January. The misdemeanor charge carried the possibility of up to a year behind bars and a $4,000 fine. Ultimately, however, Manziel struck a deal with prosecutors that led to a conditional dismissal of the case.

Over the years, Manziel worked to earn back the respect. He started his own podcast, “Glory Daze,” which is produced and distributed by Almost Friday Media. In 2024, he also cracked the role as a college football analyst on the Big Bets on Campus podcast.  

Meanwhile, while living in Nashville, he had developed a strong bond with former Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia. Now that Pavia is ready to take his talents to the pros, Manziel serves as his mentor. 

“He’s giving me some good advice, for sure,” Pavia said. “He always reaches out, too, checks up on me to make sure I’m good.” 

Manziel’s college run at Texas A&M Aggies football, ended with a Heisman Trophy. This boosted his stocks, and he was a first-round pick of the Cleveland Browns. His NFL career flamed out due to his erratic nature at the time and his various incidents that tarnished his play on the field. He used to be a cautionary tale. Now, Manziel will have to come out clean out of this defamation case to let the world remember him for his good deeds again.