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Johnny Manziel discharged from inpatient rehab

By Mary Kay Cabot, Northeast Ohio Media Group
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on April 11, 2015 at 11:43 AM, updated April 12, 2015 at 6:56 AM

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Johnny Manziel was discharged from inpatient rehab Saturday morning after more than 10 weeks, a source confirmed for Northeast Ohio Media Group, and is ready to begin the road back to Johnny Football.

ESPN first reported that Manziel was out.

Manziel is expected to participate in the Browns' offseason workout program, which begins April 20.

"When he is back, it will be full speed ahead for him,'' coach Mike Pettine said last month at the NFL annual meeting. "I think he's very anxious at this point. We'll be prepared as we will with every other player. When they get back to town, we're going to coach the heck out of them.''

He stressed however, that Manziel's recovery is of primary importance.

"Football, it's a back seat,'' said Pettine. "For his football life to get it where it needs to be, he needs to get the personal life where it needs to be. ...However long of time he needs, the football will be there when he gets out.''

Pettine echoed the sentiments of Browns general manager Ray Farmer, that they still believe Manziel can win in the NFL.

"There's a reason we drafted him where we did,'' said Pettine. "This is a guy that accounted for 90-plus touchdowns in college. When he's back with us and it's all about football, we're confident that between (offensive coordinator John DeFilippo) and between (quarterbacks coach Kevin O'Connll) that they're going to do an outstanding job with not just him but all of our quarterbacks.''

Despite the fact the Browns want Manziel to focus on his recovery, they'll give him an opportunity to compete this season.

"I don't think shutting anybody down is the right call,'' said Farmer. "That'd be the equivalent of me telling you that I could predict the future and tell you that he's not prepared. If he is prepared and he demonstrates the things that he needs to demonstrate, then yeah he should get every opportunity to be the guy. ...Do I believe in his skillset and think that he can do the job? Sure. But I think you have to give guys an opportunity to grow and learn.''

It's been a long journey for Manziel, from making deals with his parents not to drink in high school to being ordered to undergo alcohol counseling at Texas A&M to his frat-boy escapades with the Browns that were chronicled all over social media.

Along the way, Manziel vowed that he was going to live life to the fullest and that he wasn't going to change his lifestyle just because he was in the NFL. But that all changed as the Browns and others became increasingly concerned about his partying and about his apparent denial.

The Browns intervened when Manziel was photographed with a rolled-up bill in the bathroom of a bar in early July 2014. Their player-engagement team worked with Manziel to help make sure he was doing the right things off the field, but they couldn't follow him around 24/7, and the partying never let up.

Things finally came to a head when Manziel overslept prior to scheduled treatment on his hamstring the day before the season finale in Pittsburgh. Browns security personnel had to be dispatched to his downtown apartment to find him, and he readily admitted two days later that he had stayed out too late partying the night before:

"I'm upset with how I have handled things at times,'' he said. "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.

I need to start doing every single thing and everything the right way, and if I don't I'm going to be exposed.
"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 compete, give this thing a fair chance and work my (tail) 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."

Manziel, who struggled in his six quarters as a starter, acknowledged that he had been a "work in progress'' throughout 2014.

"There have been a lot of ups and downs,'' he said. "There have been some good things and bad things. You know but I'm still an extremely competitive person and know what I want to do in my life. I know what is important to me and now it is time to come in here, look myself in the mirror and hold myself accountable and start making some deals with myself.

"These problems I'm doing in my life that are occurring every now and then are bumps and things in the past have caught up to me. I need to start doing every single thing and everything the right way, and if I don't I'm going to be exposed."

Off-season developments

Hours after that interview, Manziel bolted for South Beach to kick off his off-season partying spree. But by then, the Browns realized they had a serious issue. In his postseason press conference, Pettine stressed that the Browns had to proceed as if Manziel were not going to be the guy.

"(Quarterback) is still very much a question mark,'' Pettine said. "The sample size on Manziel was not very big and, on the surface, not very encouraging. Connor Shaw went out there and battled. Here's a kid who was peeing blood last night. He took a shot in the kidney. He took some major shots in the game and got up. It's just a credit to him he wasn't coming out. He showed some things yesterday.



"I would say our quarterback situation is muddy at best and obviously will be -- when we allocate time to discussing each position -- quarterback will be given the most. As far as getting that position right moving forward, we'll spend the most amount of time on it and we'll leave no stone unturned.''

He echoed the sentiments of owner Jimmy Haslam, who said earlier this year that the Browns will launch a comprehensive search for a quarterback to take the team to the next level; and unless Manziel had a drastic transformation and could beat out whomever they brought in, he was not going to be their guy.

Less than a month after Manziel's postseason vow to change, he voluntarily entered the rehab facility, with the encouragement and support of family, friends and the Browns.

McCown, O'Connell brought in

While Manziel was in rehab, the Browns continued their quest for a starting quarterback, and landed 11-year veteran Josh McCown, who will open the season as the starter unless Manziel -- or someone else -- beats him out. McCown will also serve as a mentor to Manziel and enthusiastically embraces that role.

The Browns also hired former Manziel quarterback guru O'Connell as their quarterbacks coach, and if anyone can get Manziel back on track, it's likely O'Connell. Before the draft last season, O'Connell not only helped Manziel with his mechanics, but also helped him do the right things off the field in the months leading up to the draft.

O'Connell did such a great job that teams such as the Browns and Cowboys felt Manziel was worth a first-round pick -- despite the red flags off the field.

The Browns have also explored the possibility of trading up for Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota of Oregon in the April 30 draft, noting that "everything is on the table'' in regards to upgrading the position.

Since Manziel has been in rehab, reports have surfaced that the Browns might not want to deal with him anymore. ESPN's Chris Mortensen reported that the Browns had "90 percent'' moved on.

Publicly, the Browns have stated that they want to see what they have in Manziel when he has his personal issues under control and Farmer has stressed on multiple occasions that he still believes Manziel has the physical tools to succeed.

If he can stay clean, he'll finally have a chance to prove it.

link

Staubach: Manziel has “Russell Wilson-type talent” if he can take care of personal issues

Haslam's billion-dollar question: Should the Browns find a way to replace Johnny Manziel with Marcus Mariota?


Oregon offensive coordinator Scott Frost, who played for the Browns, thinks Marcus Mariota could play well for the Browns, or some NFL team, right away.

link

Steve Doerschuk
CantonRep.com sports writer

Posted Apr. 11, 2015 at 7:26 PM

Jimmy Haslam fired a head coach less than two months after the NFL approved his ownership of the Browns.

A year later, he fired a head coach again.

Then, Haslam fired a general manager who had worked for a year.

Another year, another bombshell? If any team is going to close the books on a first-round quarterback this fast, it would be Haslam’s Cleveland Browns.

As the walls close in on the 2015 draft, speculation as to where Oregon’s Marcus Mariota will land is splattered everywhere. Globs of projections forecast the Browns plotting ways for Mariota to replace Johnny Manziel as quarterback of the future.

Entering his fourth season since agreeing to buy the team, Haslam is sensitive about throwing away yet another year on grooming another rookie quarterback. The Browns are 34-78 since their last winning season.

Yet, if Haslam can be convinced 2015 can be fairly prosperous with Mariota either learning from or moving ahead of Josh McCown, and if the internal Manziel report remains muddy, chances are he is all ears.

Oregon offensive coordinator Scott Frost, a former Browns player, seems convinced.

“It’s going to take (Mariota) a lot less time than people think it is to get ready for that level,” Frost said this week on Fishduck.com, a website that covers Oregon football. “The kid is the smartest football player I have ever been around. Whoever gets him is going to be shocked at how fast he picks everything up.”

Frost played 12 games for the Browns in 2001 during a six-year run as an NFL safety. He was the quarterback for Tom Osborne’s national championship Nebraska team in 1997. He has coached at Oregon since 2007, including the last two years as the voice in Mariota’s ear.

“All you’re really going to have to do is teach him whatever footwork you want and he’ll be able to do it,” Frost said. “That’s going to be easy for him.”

In three years as Oregon’s starter, Mariota passed for 10,463 passing yards, ran for 2,198 yards, and threw 132 touchdown passes. In 2014, when the Ducks lost to Ohio State in the national championship game, he threw 40 TD passes and just three interceptions.

His record as a college starter is 36-5.
While Florida State’s Jameis Winston is the consensus No. 1 overall pick, projections on Mariota are all over the place. Analyst Mike Mayock this week moved Mariota past Winston as his No. 1 quarterback.

Mariota, Winston and Manziel are the last three Heisman Trophy winners. Manziel annoyed Browns teammates as a rookie and landed in a rehab facility. Winston’s perceived immaturity has been a focal point of scouts.

The scouting consensus on Mariota paints his character as exemplary.

No one judged Mariota’s recent interview with Fellowship of Christian Athletes to be phony. He said:

“My faith has been the steadying force that’s pushed me, along with my family, my friends and my teammates.

“We have high expectations as a program to go and win national championships. It’s a huge pressure, but you learn a lot about yourself through it.

“Coach Frost has helped me learn that football doesn’t define me. It’s just what I do. That was a huge life lesson for me.”

On the flip side, there are whispers about Mariota being “too nice.” His worst game last season was the biggest, against Ohio State. He lacks a rocket arm and must prove his mastery of Oregon’s spread can be channeled into the NFL.

For his part, Frost told writer Peter King he “laughs” when “experts” say Mariota might lack key NFL traits.

“I am keeping track of all the experts who've said that,” Frost said. “He changes protections, he slides protections, he shifts protections, he makes reads, he changes calls at the line.

“We have every protection at Oregon that they have in the NFL.”
The Browns have completely masked what they think of Mariota and, for that matter, Manziel.

Certainly, Mariota has a better NFL body, being about four inches taller than the 5-foot-113⁄4 Manziel. He has avoided the party-boy persona that contributed to Manziel’s circus of a rookie year.

Manziel’s appetite for preparation emerged as a big question. Oregon head coach Mark Helfrich said Mariota obsesses with football like the great ones:

“He cares more about practice rep 13, period 12, than any guy I’ve been around.”

A big wild card is how much the Browns know about Manziel’s mental-emotional state as he emerges from a rehab facility. And beyond that, what is their view of how much he can improve if he comes back as “the new Johnny?”

What is known is that general manager Ray Farmer traded like crazy throughout last year’s draft, including a trade up to grab Manziel at No. 22 overall. As to wheeling and dealing for Mariota despite burning a high pick on Manziel, it wouldn’t be the first time Haslam has addressed a perceived big mistake with a perceived big fix.

And, whereas opinions are all over the map as to what it will take to land Mariota, it is agreed he and Winston are the only two likely starters from this year’s quarterback crop.

At the moment, Haslam is in the business of guarding team secrets. But he does know those secrets. And the billion-dollar question is whether one of them will quack like a Duck when the Browns are on the clock April 30.

Reach Steve at 330-580-8347 or steve.doerschuk@cantonrep.com

just in time for spring break? jk. I bet he stood back as a rook. time top stand up jff

j/c:

A few thoughts:

--First and foremost, I would like to address all the posters who spoke about being recovering alcoholics/addicts in the locked thread: Congratulations guys and your insight is welcomed.

--Secondly, glad to hear that Johnny is out.

--I hear what 10Years was saying about Johnny's odds. Most people who are trying to recover from an addiction are not in such a high-pressure and stressful occupation like JM is. Most don't travel across the country like JM will. And hardly anyone has as many people trying to take a part of their lives like Johnny will. And fewer still are that young and have that much money. Man, those are long odds to beat.

--I think that the Browns and Johnny really need to plan and implement a very strict plan for helping Johnny avoid the traps that will lure Johnny into falling off the wagon. I hope the Browns are smart enough to realize that.

--One thing for sure, w/today's heightened social media and so many ordinary citizens drooling over the chance to snap a picture of Johnny in a location he shouldn't be in or doing something he should not be doing....we will know whether he is staying clean or not.

--Finally, I wish him nothing but the best and I am rooting for him to continue his recovery first as a person and secondly so he might actually help the Browns become winners.

Actually, Johnny's game resembles Staubach's. Watch some of the old tape of Roger the Dodger. They have many of the same moves.

Of course, there is a big difference in their character. Staubach was a very disciplined person who did not party and led a very clean life. He was extremely tough and was one of the most respected teammates to ever play the game. He is also a very caring individual who did whatever was needed for his teammates when they were in need of help. He truly is one of the greatest men of his generation.

Well said, Vers...

tab, I doubt that would be the reason even if we assume what Mort said was at least partially true.

The Browns might simply recognize the odds of Johnny's recovery are long and that they need an alternative plan.

Pettine's quote from the article:



The Browns need to prepare as if Manziel won't be available to them, because while he needs to take as long as is necessary, the Browns still have a season to get ready for. Its early, but we have a new OC who will want to be installing his system and the whole team can't wait until Manziel is "ready". Two different timetables.

We don't even know if alcohol was the reason for his entering rehab, and we won't know unless he chooses to share it.

Who says it is even alcohol?

I mean, there is a photo of a rolled up bill in the bathroom after all .

There could be a lot of truth to what Mort said. At this time of year I take a lot of it with a grain of salt. Here we are 2 1/2 weeks until the draft. Still nobody has a clue what Ray Farmer will do. Farmer has everyone focused he is looking for a quarterback. Is it true or not?

Farmer set himself up to go both directions keep Manziel or go after Mariota. I look at Drew Brees his first year or two. Everyone seen San Diego trade Brees getting Philip Rivers. Are Browns staring at possibly repeating a similar move?

My gut says stick with Johnny Manziel. Biggest thing rehab teaches is focus on something other than your addiction. Could football be it? A totally dedicated Johnny could be exactly what Cleveland needs. Two cast asides wanting to break out of this crud.

I was just formulating this post when I saw your statement...

We don't know what particular substance abuse issue Johnny was treated for.

We don't know the clinical assessment of the severity of his problem.

We don't know the course of treatment he received or the after care regimen he's been prescribed.

Were his excesses largely a symptom of some other unresolved inter-personal conflict or do they arise from some hereditary pre-disposition to addiction?

The one thing I am sure of is that even though he is a public figure he is under no obligation to divulge any of this.

I have no first hand knowledge of alcohol rehab, but I think the idea is that the person who abuses alcohol is unable to control the impulse once he starts drinking. I couldn't swear to it, but I *think* the goal is to abstain.

Wait, this can't be. Rizzo himself said that he got if from a VERY Good source that Manziel isn't going to be playing this year. And we all know that Rizzo is never wrong... Don't we?

LOL,, Just having some fun a Rizzos expense.

j/c:

I think there are a lot of interesting things to discuss. Not sure speculating whether or not it was alcohol or drug abuse or both is all that important.

Make sense?

Well, he hasn't played yet.

I get that it makes for interesting conversation.

I'm just some guy with a undergraduate Psych degree and some hours toward a Masters. I do know that the questions I raised are pertinent to knowing what's best for his (or anyone in a similar situation) road to recovery.

There are important variances in treatment. I'm personally uncomfortable proclaiming what he should do or the team should do in response to his situation.

Other posters should proceed based on their comfort level.

mac, there are different stages. Occasional, Abuse, Addiction.

We don't know which stage he is in and that is why I think it is more important to concentrate on other aspects of this discussion.

One thing I am encouraged by is Manziel's youth. I don't have anything to support this but I do feel that addressing his problems as a young man will increase his chance of success.

I don't know if this has been said yet....But from my own experience..This is not what you want to do.

1. You give a person a reason to drink. It gives them an excuse to party and then tell themselves to just keep it down, and maybe for awhile they do. But sooner or later BAM here we go again.

2. Chances are that a Person in Rehab...is in there because of a problem...Not because they are a social drinker. I know I've been there a couple of times.

3. You also give the impression that they have no problem, just need to ease on back a little bit. This couldn't be further than the truth. JMO

j/c

In my opinion Johnny would have never been a good NFL quarterback WITHOUT any of this off the field/rehab stuff ... and now he has less than zero percent chance

We must move on and explore all possible avenues ... if he ever becomes a viable backup then so be it ... but I'm not holding my breath (and I wouldn't want the distraction anymore anyways)

If he's an alcoholic, he can never have another drink. He's physically addicted and can not be cured...and he will never be able to "have just one" or drink socially. If he's using the effects drugs and alcohol to cope with life's stressors, he may not have a physical addiction and hopefully will have developed healthy, adaptive coping skills in his lengthy rehab. Physical addiction or not, he needs to abstain while trying to get his career on track.

I wasn't going to mention this, mainly because I don't know enough about it to even know if it could have any application in Manziel's case. As I mentioned earlier I have no clue what he was actually being treated for.

There is controversy in Psychiatry about the use of medication to curtail craving to drink. There are medications such as naltrexone that are proven to manage cravings for years. Some believe that addressing the neurology of drinking instead of the psychology of drinking is not real "recovery". In either case people have achieved long term sobriety.

He needed to learn how to enjoy life without getting hammered. Wish him the best of luck.

j/c

So just a general question.... How much time will the Browns have with Manziel before the draft. It sounds like there is some sort of OTA April 20th... but is it a practice, player meetings, both? How good of a feel will the browns have about the new Johnny in the next few weeks. This actually could be the make or break time for Manziel- if he can say and do the right things before the draft, then maybe the browns don't go all in for Mariotta.

And what kind of football shape could Manziel be in after the last couple months in rehab. Was working out part of his therapy.

I'm fond of saying whatever works. That said a wait and see approach is usually best. There have been many many alternative treatments, medications, programs be they psychological, neurological, religious, or spiritual and very few have lasted the test of time. Hopefully it's something. Not holding my breath.

Not to get too into the nitty-gritty of addiction but if he is a true alcoholic (which I don't know and the fact that he checked into treatment and stayed for 60 days doesn't necessarily prove... but does seem to indicate) then there is a loooooooong and storied history of failure when it comes to attempting to moderate drink & drug use for the real alcoholic. People usually point to some seeming outlyer person as proof of just such a thing but they usually don't bear scrutinizing.

Anyway... I think for just about any other person a little relapse is a hiccup. Pretty normal and acceptable on the pathway towards eventual sobriety. I had, er, probably 20 "hiccups" before I finally settled in. I'd say it's actually the norm. And that's really what make's his situation so precarious. The day he has that hiccup, social media will explode and it'll be front page on ESPN and every pundit will chime in what an irresponsible person he is etc etc. It'll be untenable for the team. For any team. And that's why I said when he went into treatment it was over. Even if he isn't a real alcoholic the question will dog him. He'd have to keep it on total lock down. He has ZERO wiggle room now. He seems to my eye as someone who needs a good bit of wiggle room. He's essentially going to have to make it totally and completely a non-issue. Meaning, total abstinence and no relapses. Maybe he's up to it. That's a tough one though.

Mac - thanks for the articles.
Vers - thanks for the congratulatory comment.

That a program is learning to "control" your drinking is a misconception held by many. The principle as I understand it and have applied to my life, is that I have no control when it comes to any substance that alters my consciousness; alcohol or drug. The mechanism of alcoholism and that of drug addiction are essentially the same. And I will use either to avoid dealing with problems and emotions that cause me pain or discomfort.

There is an expression, one drink is too many and 10 aren't enough. The only way to control your drinking is to not drink. If you accept that you can't control the substance, that it controls you, then you have to find an outside source for the power of control. In AA, they call it "turning your life and will over to a power greater than yourself." Generally that implies God, but they make no stipulation as to how to conceive that higher power. (Thereby making the program useful no matter your religion or whether you believe in God or not.) This is the first of 12 steps to recovery in the AA program. Of course AA is not the only program, and since I am unfamiliar with any others, I am not in a position to speak about how they work. I suppose, however, that they mostly follow many of the proven methods of the AA plan.

Obviously, both you guys have been through this and have a good handle on the situation. I really agree w/what 10Yr is saying in how difficult it will be for Johnny in regards to his environment.

I wish you guys well. I know the enormity of the battle. Stay strong, guys!

I think your analysis is probably accurate. I also believe its narrow, rigid and absolute in a way that guarantees Johnny to be labeled a failure when his recovery doesn't go in a straight line. All while not knowing his diagnosis in the first place. I'm rooting for the guy but I don't know how he'll avoid the pitfalls.

I respect Staubach's opinion but the real question for the Browns is Manziel or Mariota?

I really don't give a damn about Johnny's rehab, his performance on the field sucked. Was it a result from partying? Who cares, you sucked, feed your BS to someone else. You cost a 1st round pick. That's where it stops for me.

Mariota, who is a larger Manziel type skillset, can be gotten. No question about his dedication to football; I'd invest in him!

Really Johnny will be a better QB and a better person. After his rehab will help him out.

I don't see Mort as overly insightful. Flavor of the day stories, trite opinions, controversy over content in some opinions, and exaggeration breeds relevance.

"Moved on 90%" ? Think we might want to. But with the rehab sit rep all mysterious as to what and when and why and how long, I think realistically that all facets of the FO had to prepare (and must) for football without JM in the picture.

I wish him well, but do not agree with Staubach that he is obliged a second try or owed anything necessarily. Regardless of where picked, it is how he games.

I wish him the best. My prayers for strength and courage to all the recovering. I can imagine going forward without the JF package. I am not sure I would be endlessly patient. If it is Mariota, turn the page. I do not want him.

I think we'll know with a few weeks if he's "changed" from rehab. Not that he can't/won't relapse at some point, but we'll at least see if he stays out of the news.