Aug 18, 2014; Landover, MD, USA; Washington Redskins quarterback Colt McCoy (16) shakes hands with Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel (2) after their game at FedEx Field. The Redskins won 24-23.
Aug 18, 2014; Landover, MD, USA; Washington Redskins quarterback Colt McCoy (16) shakes hands with Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel (2) after their game at FedEx Field. The Redskins won 24-23. REUTERS

The Washington Redskins wanted to play around with college stud Johnny Manziel and they got all the hilarity that they wanted.

Reacting to the coverage of the now infamous middle finger salute of Manziel to the Redskins bench, linebacker Brian Orakpo did not find the gesture offensive but bared that the whole Redskins bench was flipping on the young quarterback's reaction.

"It was hilarious," said Orakpo per The Washington Post. "We were messing with him a little bit, just saying this ain't college and stuff like that. We were having a little fun. Manziel flipped us off. It was something funny. We were all laughing on the sidelines."

Pegged as one of the instigators of the incident, Orakpo said that they just wanted to gauge the patience of the rookie. They called him names from the sidelines, mostly reminding him of his status as a neophyte and not a college standout and he flipped.

Late in the third quarter of the exhibition game, as he was walking off from a incomplete pass and jeers from the Redskins bench, he flashes the middle finger much to the delight of the opposing team. Redskins safety Ryan Clark relayed that the bench found it funny and he was sure that if Manziel had the chance to turn around and wave it to their faces the rookie quarterback would have done so.

During the post-game press conference, Manziel told the media that he needed to show some maturity while his teammate and receiver DeSean Jackson called the incident unfortunate and understands that the youth of Manziel played into the hands of the instigators.

Linebacker Orakpo who had his own money gesture clearly wanted to piss off Manziel. This must be because of the rivalry of their schools or that Manziel is an up and coming star in the league. His persistence to egg on the 22-year-old player was on display when his fellow linebacker Ryan Kerrigan sacked the young quarterback. Orakpo did his money sign and even asked Kerrigan to join him in the shenanigans, only for the latter to decline.

Said Kerrigan: "I thought about it, but that's not cool. That's not me. It would have been out of character. We talked about it before, but I chickened out."

Watch the video of the middle finger salute below:

(Video Courtesy of: Youtube/MediaStudioTV)

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