Word on the street was, and always has been, that five-star recruit C.J. Johnson simply didn't like Ole Miss. It seemed he was going to be a Bulldog and nothing was going to change that.
Then Manny Diaz left.
It was at that point that C.J. Johnson decided to decommit from MSU. Many people (including myself) pretty much assumed this was a knee-jerk reaction by Johnson and ultimately the guy was still going to be a Bulldog. Unfortunately, it just wasn't meant to be.
Johnson has now officially made a commitment to the worst team in the SEC WestBlack Bears. Why would he do something so stupid you ask? Because he got his feelings hurt on Facebook.
That sounds like a teenage girl, but whatever, C.J.
The basic summary of the story is this: Johnson was harassed on a consistent basis by a Mississippi State fan (or fans) on Facebook. He made a farewell to Facebook post and told the world he was going to choose Ole Miss over Mississippi State due to the fact that State fans made the recruiting process a "living nightmare" for him.
Look, in all seriousness, if that's true, then shame on those fans. You shouldn't harass any recruit in an effort to get him to play for your team. That's a pretty sad existence if that's how you spend your time.
Having said all that, there are a lot of idiots on Facebook and I seriously doubt he's the first college football recruit to get harassed by some crazed fans. If Johnson lets the virtual drama of Facebook hurt his feelings that badly, then I hope for his sake he never makes it to the NFL. If he does, then he will really see what it is like to get harassed by fans and media alike. A life like that will eventually send the poor guy to a weekly session with Dr. Phil.
Since the Facebookgate story initially broke, Johnson has tried to downplay the significance of it and said he ultimately felt more comfortable with Ole Miss. He had this to say when asked about Facebookgate:
" I didn't base my decision of Facebook. That would be arrogant of me to say I didn't go to MSU because y'all's fans was chewing me out on facebook. You make a decision based on the fans, you make a decision for the wrong reason. Having said that, I've had some people posing as Mississippi State fans. I've actually had some State fans pose as Ole Miss fans because it's a lot of people that's graduated from my high school that go to Mississippi State. It's a lot of Ole Miss fans around town, too."
Hey, if that's the genuine truth, then more power to you C.J. I just hope you will be able to handle the agony of defeat handed to you in next season's Egg Bowl.
No, I'm not bitter...