Former Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel clearly has some serious issues.
Everyone in his life from his parents to his now two former agents have made it known that the 23-year-old signal caller needs help. Manziel may have an addiction to alcohol and or drugs but up to now it's the game of football that has facilitated his self destruction.
See, football once truly loved Johnny Manziel.
He was a college football star at Texas A&M, a Heisman Trophy winner to be exact. It did not take him long to become one of if not the most recognizable name in college football. His talent and popularity gave him more lives than a stray cat. Before he even arrived into the NFL he was arrested for disorderly conduct. He reportedly shoved a graduate assistant at Texas A&M. His obnoxious antics and checkered college career did not impact his perceived on-the-field potential, as he was chosen in the first round of the 2014 draft. Lucky him.
I only covered Manziel this past season, a year filled with more drama than a season of The Bachelor. He was reportedly late or absent to meetings. He partied and lied about it to his coaches. He got in some sort of altercation with his then girlfriend in his car. Then of course there is the infamous and supposed trip to Vegas during the last game of the season, where he is rumored to have dressed up in a blonde wig to conceal his identity. It still has me saying, “really?” Currently he is being investigated for domestic violence allegations.
His story is a far cry from that of a dedicated and disciplined athlete, willing to sacrifice for greatness. Thanks to his talent, notoriety and high draft pick the game always has been there, making him somewhat immune to the consequences average players and personalities would face for the same indiscretions. To him football was the girl that was helplessly in love. No matter how many times he cheated, or lied, or screwed her over, he believed she’d never stray. So he never felt he truly had to change, which only expedited his downfall.
Now with a pending domestic violence case, no agent and no team, football may finally be over Johnny Manziel. He has let down a team and a city, as his family begs him to get help and his former girlfriend possesses a restraining order. You can’t help but wonder, what could have been if he was focused and took advantage of the opportunities in front of him? We may now never know.
I don't feel bad for Johnny Manziel, as he’s been given every chance to get well and succeed. It’s the coaches that wasted their time, the fans that held on to false hope and his friends and family who tried to stand by him as Johnny Football pursued his lust for the fast lane. Football and everything that came with it, may have once loved Johnny Manziel, but his biggest downfall just may have been that he never loved the game back.
