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How Johnny Manziel lied to Mike Pettine about the partying and how it continued in Columbus

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Browns coach Mike Pettine has come under heavy fire from fans for demoting Johnny Manziel for partying, but it was actually more for lying to him about it, as first reported here on Wednesday.

And the Browns still might not know the extent of Manziel's wild bye weekend, which began in Austin, Tex. on Thursday and Friday nights. A source told cleveland.com that Manziel also lived it up until the wee hours of Saturday night at XO Nightlife in Columbus, Ohio after he attended the Ohio State-Michigan State game that afternoon.

The source said patrons were prohibited from taking photos or videos of Manziel while he was at the club.

The lying is what Pettine meant when he repeatedly said Wednesday that Manziel had violated the team's trust. It's also a major reason Manziel was disciplined after this round of partying and not for the others. Manziel was also out on the town during his mini-bye weekend two weeks ago at Texas A&M, and admitted to day-drinking on Oct. 12, just hours before his roadway argument with his girlfriend, Colleen Crowley.

It was bad enough that Manziel -- who spent 70 days in inpatient rehab in the offseason -- broke his promise to Pettine and partied hard most of the weekend. But the more egregious error was lying to his offensive coaches when they grilled him Monday about the partying video that first surfaced that afternoon on bustedcoverage.com, sources told cleveland.com.

"To me, it's the trust and accountability part of it,'' Pettine said Wednesday. "Just right on the heels of discussions that not just I had with him but (quarterbacks coach) Kevin O'Connell and Flip (offensive coordinator John DeFilippo). That trust was violated."

When reporters from cleveland.com and a few other local outlets interviewed Manziel at the Greater Cleveland Food Bank on Monday shortly after the video hit the internet, Manziel tried to pass it off as dated.

"Videos can be old,'' he said. "Videos can be all kinds of different things. So like I said, I'm not in a state to be able to speak on it because my focus has been on this today and what really matters in this game on Monday. So that's where my focus has been. I did get a chance to relax. So I haven't seen anything like that, and I'm not going to be able to speculate on it right now."

Asked specifically if the video was old, Manziel said, "I haven't seen it, so I can't speak on it."

In the 30-second clip first posted on DJ LX's Instagram account, Manziel is seen singing and dancing in the deejay booth at Summit Rooftop Lounge with a bottle of champagne in his hand.

The caption on the Instagram read, "Sippin on Dom Perignon for no reason with Johnny Manziel.''

Later Monday afternoon, after the video went viral on the internet, DJ LX not only took it down, but deleted it from his Instagram. When ESPN Cleveland's Tony Cartagena reached him to ask him about the video, the deejay responded that it was old.

But an eyewitness told cleveland.com on Monday that Manziel had been at the Austin bars on Friday night. What's more, as more photos surfaced on the internet, it became apparent that the video was from Friday night afterall.

Fox Sports' Jay Glazer echoed on Thursday cleveland.com's report from Wednesday that Manziel had lied to the coach. He also reported that Manziel enlisted his buddies to join in the cover up.

Manziel ultimately came clean on Tuesday when Pettine questioned him again.

The dishonesty is likely what left tackle Joe Thomas and receiver Brian Hartline were referring to when they alluded to more reasons for demoting Manziel than a 30-second video of him enjoying himself over the bye weekend.

"I'll let coach (Mike) Pettine dig into the justification, but I think it's probably more than what you see on the surface from a TMZ report or whatever report,'' said Thomas. "Like I said, we support coach's decision, and I'll let him kind of dig into the details of why he made the decision that he made.''

Hartline, responding specifically to a question about fans thinking that Pettine overreacted, backed up Thomas' assertion that the coach's decision to demote Manziel from starting quarterback to third-string was more about a pattern of behavior than an isolated incident.

"That's the thing (fans) don't understand,'' said Hartline. "You're talking about stuff that's in the locker room that you don't know all the facts to and you are making a lot of assumptions. That's kind of where we're standing right now, right? How we handle our business and how we go about things is on us and we stand behind the coach and the decisions. I think you guys heard Joe, Joe did a pretty good job. Kind of explained everything."

Asked to elaborate, Hartline said, "I'm just saying that it's an in-house thing that kind of spills outside because Johnny is Johnny. The people in the locker and the people upstairs know the whole story and how they feel about the whole situation. Regardless, moving forward, Johnny had a great practice today, he's not going to let it slow him down. Sometimes you gotta take one step backwards to go four or five steps forward and that can be the case."

So while Pettine has been getting drilled on social media by angry fans for too harsh a punishment, it was more about the lying and the attempted cover-up than the partying.

"It will be a process (to earn back the trust),'' said Pettine. "There is no magical solution to that. We tell our players, 'You lose trust in buckets and you regain it in drops.' I think that certainly applies here."

http://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ss...ns_demoted.html

I agree that if he lied he shouldn't have, BUT he also should not have been put in the situation where he felt he needed to lie!

Looks like we are one of the few who are holding on to this! I'm with ya Dawg!

“Why do the fans think that?” Hartline said. “No one ever said he couldn’t (have fun on the bye week). You’re talking about something you don’t know all the facts to and you are making a lot of assumptions. How we handle our business and how we go about things is on us. We stand behind the coach and the decisions.”

The more I chew on your comment the more apparent how this is just not going to work. That the relationship between Pet & staff is so bad that:
1. Johnny felt he could not tell the truth
2. Johnny felt OK flat out lying to the face of so many entrusted with HIS success

Both signify a bad relationship between Johnny and the coaches. Why in the world would he not come clean when asked directly? That's like Josh saying "I thought the season was over"...

Project now to the off-season - what will the rules for Johnny? We know have a precedent for sitting him based upon behavioral - non-football - choices. IF he were to be the starter next year and this repeats, does he get demoted?

How do we not draft a QB then knowing that Johnny will not have had enough time to prove himself [no bye week or full off-season]

Stop the madness...release him now so we can move on...imho

tell me one time he told the truth since he was out of collage... i am truly baffled how anyone could believe one word that he says.

The Browns stuck their neck out to support Manziel after a rockier than rocky rookie season. They stood by him when he went through 10 weeks of rehab. They supported him to the brink of coddling him after rehab, all with the noble intention of helping a young man get his life together.

Manziel responded to that support with a string of troubling incidents: He was questioned by police after witnesses reported he was driving 90 mph on the shoulder of a highway while he argued with his girlfriend; social media posts revealed he was partying in College Station, Texas, two days after a Thursday night game in Cincinnati; and now the video from the Austin nightclub during the Browns' bye week.

Were he not to play another down this season, it would make sense. Josh McCown has tried to play with a rib injury that did not allow him to breathe. Austin Davis has done nothing but put in the work needed.

The guys who are truly committed deserve to play.

http://espn.go.com/blog/cleveland-browns...lation-of-trust

pretty well sums it up.. but i know... poor johnny he just misunderstood.....

Mike Pettine Lied to all Browns fans. He said he was going to build a tough defense we could all be proud of. Worst defense in football. He said we were gonna run the football and be a team that would wear teams down. Worst running team in football. He said he was gonna build a team we could be proud of. Freaking embarrassment.

Pettine lied to everyone and coached like a Brown.

To be fair, he probably didnt remember what he did during the bye week lol

not going to disagree with that.. not sure what it has to do with johnny though.....

Didn't you know that poor Johnny is the victim in all of this? He shouldhave never been put in the position to lie !!!

He was an orphan raised in a tough neighborhood by abusing adoptive parents. He's actually being a saint by being self-destructive instead of beating up others. Johnny Manziel is a victim of society...and the media. If not for that and Pettine, the whole Browns org and all of the USA being against him, he would be a phenom QB. Shame on you!

i dont agree with you much but.... pretty much spot on. jmo

Pettine and Farmer were in the same room together when Manziel was drafted. They knew they were drafting Johnny Drama.

Pettine and Farmer knew that sending Johnny to rehab would only fuel the narrative and did it anyway.

They got what they drafted. They can't feign surprise.

The should be held accountable as well.

now that is funny. might even be true.... never was big on the guy and every time i start thinking it might work out something happens. im done. ready to move on... try to trade him after the season.

counter argument...

Jameis Winston.

Some get to the pros and change and others don't.

I would have drafted Mariota.

Manziel is an alcoholic. Do you think 70 days in rehab was a vacation or a dodge to get into managements good graces? Beds are precious in rehab facilities and if they thought he didn't need it they would cut him lose ASAP.

It isn't how much you drink or how often you drink but what happens when you do drink that counts. C'mon! Everyone is equating this to the dealings of other players. Does everyone you know go to 2 day long parties and show up in pics and on video constantly lugging a magnum of champagne?

This is beyond, "boys will be boys" or "he's just another Broadway Joe." Fer crimes sake! The guy just got exonerated by the NFL for smacking his g.f. around while driving 90 mph on the freeway after drinking earlier. He's either real real stupid or a drunk.

When I was 22, yeah I went to days long parties and lugged around a lot more than magnums of Champaign. If there were pics off the parties I was at they would have been a lot worse than what I've seen of Johnny.

He "smacked up his girlfriend" because she tried to jump out of a moving car. Guess he should have let her die.

As far as rehab, if you've got the money you'll get into a high end rehab center guaranteed.

I don't like that he lied, but he should have never been put into the situation by the coaches.

I hope all of you that are up in arms over this are also mad about the undisciplined product Pettine us putting on the field. We've got a lot bigger problems than Johnny - the coaches are probably ecstatic about this since no one is talking about the real problems of the team anymore.

I'm beginning to wonder if anyone on this board ever had fun when they were 22. I sure did, no reason Johnny shouldn't either as long as it is legal.

1 - Has nothing to do with Johnny.

2 - There is a big difference between making a promise that you intend to fulfill but because of circumstances beyond your control you cannot, and flat out lying.

What is really concerning to me is the overall culture of this team. It's not just Johnny Manziel, it's not just Coach Pettine. It has been a pattern here for years spanning different regimes and the losing won't stop until the culture changes.

Kellen Winslow - Played as hard on the field as any player we have had since the return. Could have been an elite TE but had off field issues including a stupid accident doing tricks on a motorcycle.

Braylon Edwards - Looked like he was going to be an elite WR in 2007 with 17 TD's. By 2009 he could not catch a cold and his attitude lead him out of town.

Peyton Hillis - Had an incredible season with the Browns then became entitled the next year and was shown the door.

Josh Gordon - A WR with unbelievable ability but his addiction won't allow him on the field. His future is cloudy and he may never suit up for the Browns again.

Johnny Manziel - Just started to seem like he was turning the corner but again cannot keep his nose clean off the field.

When will it stop. Reminds me so much of the Bengals during their 20 years of ineptitude. This team needs to change it's culture in the worst way. This pattern of changing coaches every year or two must stop. This pattern of top draft picks and star players being entitled and off field issues/bad attitudes must stop.

There needs to be a no nonsense approach taken with our team. It starts at the top Jimmy Haslam needs to step in and set his expectations to everyone from his front office, his coaches, and players. Things do not change from the bottom up. it changes from the top down.

The culture of this team was set in the early 200o's when Randy Lerner was a absent owner. Jimmy Haslam did himself no favors when he canned an entire staff after 1 year. Actually he added to it. He now needs to demand what culture he wants in his organization.

This mess is soley on Jimmy Haslam to fix.

Agreed. Why is anybody surprised by the antics of Money Manziel? Though they should let him play to see if he can at least produce on the field. If they won't give him a shot, trade him for a third and draft your guy next year.

Scott Player's.

Cool, his facemask posts here too.

Best posts by any piece of NFL-sanctioned protective equipment in all 32 teams.

BROWNIES!
RIDELL!

WE'RE #1!!!
WE'RE #1!!!

SUPER BOWL, HERE WE COME!!!

Fun is great. But although Manziel is well intentioned, he puts himself at risk when alcohol is involved. The list of his troubles is very long even AFTER he entered the NFL.

If you are representing ANY professional organization, then you need to follow their rules and policies, otherwise face the consequences. For example, in the military you willingly give up certain freedoms and rights the moment you begin to serve. There are specific orders, regulations, and standards that you MUST follow and for good reason: 1) to ensure personal safety, 2) to ensure mission success, 3) to prevent discredit upon the organization. If you break the rules, then you get disciplined. If you continually break them, then confinement or discharge may result.

The good news is that most 22 year olds in the military can follow the rules, and some have significant responsibilities to keep our nation safe. All carry a sacrifice that is greater than football.

Manziel is NOT a victim, he is willingly representing a professional organization. His unit (the Browns) has specific expectations of him that must be met, and rules that need to be followed. If he can't do that, then he should be disciplined accordingly or released. The Browns, however, are doing all they can to support him, to train him, and to help him become the best that he can be.

Hopefully he can change. Because the bottom line for the Browns will be: "If you can't change the people, then change the people."