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Texas A&M's Johnny Manziel celebrates a touchdown with teammate Ben Malena (1) during the fourth quarter against Rice on Saturday, Aug. 31, 2013, in College Station, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin defended quarterback Johnny Manziel on Tuesday after the Heisman Trophy winning quarterback was accused of ignoring the coach during a fourth-quarter sideline exchange in the Aggies' 52-31 win over Rice on Saturday.

"I'm not shocked by anything anymore," said Sumlin, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram . "People want to make a story out of anything that happens on this team right now. But of all the things there is to talk about in this program, of all the things you want to make an issue about, that is probably the last thing that needs to be talked about."

Manziel came off the field Saturday after being penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct and appeared to walk past Sumlin as the coach was trying to talk to him.

Not the case, says Sumlin.

"When he came off the field, I made two statements to him. Neither one of which should he have responded to," said Sumlin, who benched Manziel after the penalty. "They weren't questions. They were direct statements that I can't repeat right now.

"What's amazing to me is the perception that he ignored me. The worst thing that could have happened was for him to reply. So for people to say, 'He's not listening to his coach and there's no discipline on this team,' they're not around this football team. A lot of people who have made statements about that weren't anywhere near that sideline."

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