Johnny Manziel waived by Cleveland Browns
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- It's time for Johnny Manziel to float off into the sunset on his inflatable swan, magnum of champagne in hand. The Browns waived their wayward first-round quarterback Friday, and the move couldn't have come soon enough for the club.
Manziel's tumultuous two seasons with the Browns were characterized by excessive partying, false promises, lies, offensive photos and videos, a 10-week stay in rehab, possible domestic violence charges and very little production on the football field.
He leaves with two years remaining on his four-year $8,248,596 contract -- $7,998,596 of which was guaranteed. And the Browns have only two victories in his six starts to show for all their millions and troubles.
The only thing left for the Browns is to try and recoup some of the guaranteed money they've paid Manziel and avoid paying him some of what's still owed in the event he's suspended by the NFL for violating the personal-conduct policy.
From a cash standpoint, they still owe him guaranteed base salaries in 2016 and 2017 of $1,169,872 and $1,004,125. The Browns kept Manziel for a couple of days to see if a team might offer a conditional late-round pick, but then opted to cut their losses today.
The Browns will now turn their attention to finding their quarterback of the future, likely with the No. 2 overall pick in the draft, where their top two candidates are North Dakota State's Carson Wentz and Cal's Jared Goff.
Manziel is under investigation by a grand jury in Dallas for misdemeanor assault and domestic-violence against his ex-girlfriend Colleen Crowley, a charge that carries a maximum punishment of one year in jail and a $4,000 fine. Crowley has also secured a protective order against Manziel for the next two years.
He's also under investigation by the NFL and could face sanctions from the league, even if he's not convicted of a crime.
At the end of the season, one source close to the team said of Manziel, "He's a train wreck.''
2014 draft and season
That was a long way from "Let's wreck this league,'' which is what Manziel supposedly texted to then-Browns quarterbacks coach Dowell Loggains on draft day in 2014.
The Browns traded up to draft Manziel that day, giving up a third-round pick to move up from No. 26 to No. 22 to take the former Heisman Trophy winner. But signs surfaced right away that Manziel might not have his priorities straight. He was photographed slugging a magnum of champagne on draft night, and it was the first in a never-ending string of partying photos and videos that surfaced on the Internet.
The montage featured Manziel floating on the inflatable swan while holding the ever-present magnum of bubbly, and Manziel shouting an expletive into his money phone. It included Manziel rolling up a bill in the bathroom of a bar -- a photo that left the organization deeply disturbed.
Manziel partied from coast to coast in his rookie season, turning up in Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Austin and Dallas on a regular basis. He partied poolside with Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski, and at the home of Justin Bieber along with boxer Floyd Mayweather in southern California.
The Browns kept insisting publicly that Johnny was just being Johnny, but privately they were very concerned about his off-the-field antics. Manziel flamed out in his first NFL start against the Bengals, achieving five first downs and earning an embarrassing 27.3 rating. Teammates admitted he didn't know the plays in the huddle and it was obvious he wasn't prepared.
Along the way, Manziel vowed to stop being a "jackass'' and to get it together off the field. But the day before the 2014 season finale in Pittsburgh, he overslept for his treatment after a night of hard partying and team security had to go to his apartment to find him. Manziel was confined to the locker room during the game, and fined by the club.
The day after the season, he was outraged by reports that he had a party, and blamed the media for blowing it out of proportion.
"I don't think I've been fair to (the fans) as well,'' he said. "I didn't come out and perform this year and that's what it comes down to. I'm upset with how I have handled things at times. I did grow up, and then I took a step back. It is the same story with me. We're taking one step forward and then two steps back.
"Now it is really in my court. What do I want to do and what do I want to be known as? Do I want to be known as a guy who has been in this league two years and now doing something different with his life or come in here and compete, give this thing a fair chance and work my ass off to be the quarterback and person I know I am. Am I going to put the time in and do what I need to do to be successful and that's what it comes down to."
Less than a month later, Manziel checked himself into an inpatient addiction-treatment center and remained there for 73 days.
2015 season
In his first interview out of rehab, he swore off his signature money sign and his Johnny Football nickname. He moved to a quiet, suburban golf community and had one of his high school coaches, Julius Scott, move in with him for a few months to help keep him sober.
But soon, stories began to emerge of Manziel out partying again. In May, about six weeks after leaving treatment, he threw a water bottle at an 18-year-old who was hounding him for an autograph at a golf tournament in Texas. The photographs included six-packs of beer nearby -- the first sign that perhaps Manziel was off track again.
The major red flag went up Oct. 12 in Avon, Ohio, when Manziel got in the roadway argument with Crowley and admitted he had been drinking that afternoon. Crowley told police that Manziel beat her and shoved her head into the glass of the car, but she later recanted and he wasn't arrested. The NFL also cleared him of wrongdoing after a thorough investigation lead by chief investigator Lisa Friel.
Upon being cleared -- the same day then-Browns coach Mike Pettine named the starter for the final six games of the season -- Manziel issued a statement saying that league's decision should put to rest any thoughts that he had hurt Crowley.
"I appreciate the NFL's diligence and discretion in reviewing a situation that was both personal and embarrassing,'' Manziel said. "Colleen and I cooperated fully with the NFL's process and completely support their goals of making sure that every family under their umbrella is safer and more secure.
"I'm grateful that the review was so thorough and fair that there should be no question left in the public mind about what actually happened.''
Manziel vowed that he'd no longer be an embarrassment to the organization -- beginning with the upcoming bye weekend. Instead, he partied all weekend in Austin, Texas, and Columbus, Ohio, and then lied to coaches about it, saying the video that surfaced from the Austin bar was old.
Manziel lost his starting job, and Pettine later admitted that Manziel's problems were "deeper-rooted'' than they initially thought when they drafted him. He stressed that Manziel would have to earn back his team's trust.
Instead, he dropped the ball.
As the season wound down, stories of Manziel out partying locally increased.
The day he was diagnosed with the concussion, Manziel showed up for work disheveled and out of sorts and was immediately sent to the trainer. He was diagnosed by an independent neurologist that day and then ruled out the following day.
The Browns were actually effectively done with Manziel the final week of the season when he flew to Las Vegas just two days after being ruled out of the season finale with a concussion. According to USA Today, Manziel wore a blond wig and fake mustache and went by the name of Billy so he wouldn't be recognized.
The day of the season-ending 28-12 loss to the Steelers, Manziel missed his concussion treatment and was ultimately fined. The club couldn't reach him all day and didn't know where he was. As the day wore on, they grew increasingly miffed by another huge embarrassment to the club. Those close to Manziel also couldn't locate him that day.
Manziel finally showed up the day after the season -- a day after Pettine and general manager Ray Farmer were fired -- but the Browns gave him the cold shoulder, league sources said. Owner Jimmy Haslam was busy addressing the team and introducing Sashi Brown, the new football boss.
On Jan. 30, Manziel had the altercation in Texas with Crowley, and Fort Worth police searched for him via helicopter. Crowley accused him of beating her and causing hearing loss. Manziel's father said he tried twice to get back into rehab and if he didn't get help he "wouldn't make it to his 24th birthday.''
On Feb. 2, Brown made it clear the Browns would cut ties with Manziel as soon as the league year opened March 9. The team held onto him for two days in case he could draw something on the trade market.
"We've been clear about expectations for our players on and off the field," Brown said in a statement. "Johnny's continual involvement in incidents that run counter to those expectations undermines the hard work of his teammates and the reputation of our organization. His status with our team will be addressed when permitted by league rules. We will have no further comment at this time.''
The Texas incident with Crowley -- for which he faces possible jail time and suspension -- was just more confirmation that Manziel was wrecking the team more than he was "wrecking this league.''
In his eight starts, Manziel went 2-6, including 2-4 this season. He's completed 57 percent of his passes with seven touchdowns and seven interceptions and earned a 74.4 rating.
League sources close to Manziel believe he can play in the NFL.
"But not in his current state of mind,'' one told cleveland.com.
Now, he's no longer the the Browns' problem.
The brief, torturous tenure of Johnny Football in Cleveland is over.
http://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ssf/2016/03/johnny_manziel_waived_by_cleveland_browns.html
