Johnny Manziel was once on top of the football world: a Heisman Trophy winner, a first round draft pick, and a bright future to be an NFL star.
Now he finds himself constantly under public scrutiny, seemingly incapable of staying out of trouble and soon to be out of a job. The Cleveland Browns will release him as soon as they can, and he will likely not be signed by any other team.
This, however, may not be the worst thing for Johnny Manziel and his football career. Many believe that he needs to step away from the game and gain control of his life. Teammates and relatives have implied that Manziel has a drinking problem that interferes with his ability to have a clear grasp on the dedication and focus it takes to be a quarterback in the NFL; the league is more demanding than college sports where you might avoid being disciplined for partying the night before a game by relying on your talent to save you.
In his first two years in Cleveland, Manziel got in trouble with the Browns countless times for missing team meetings and events, coming late to team facilities, and being hung-over before and during practice. He was recently targeted and investigated for domestic violence with his girlfriend, who claims that he physically attacked her on multiple occasions.
Life is finally catching up with Johnny Manziel, who has seemingly always had things go his way. He’s always been a player that requires weighing the pros and cons before adding him to your team, and before this year, the pros have always outweighed the cons. But at the moment, the scale has begun to drastically lean the other way.
Manziel undoubtedly has talent and gifts on the field you can’t teach, but his off-the-field issues do not make him worth any of the risks. One of the worst things you can say about the quarterback of your team is that you can’t count on him, and at this point, you absolutely cannot count on Manziel.
Many can argue that the writing has been on the wall for a long time, with all of the trouble that Manziel found himself in at Texas A&M, but everyone overlooked his problems. The Browns certainly did when drafting him as the number 22 overall pick. He constantly showed that he was not ready but they overlooked his issues, hoping he would eventually get it. That day has yet to come, and now the Browns sit in regret, wasting another pick on a quarterback that didn’t pan out for them.
Even after checking himself into rehab and taking steps toward helping himself, Mazniel hasn’t found grasp on his life. There is still hope, but time away from football may be best for him and those who love him.
Manziel may never get another chance in the NFL, but, either way, he has a lot of maturing to do. He needs to first better himself as a person in order to be a productive player, and a better human, beyond football.