Johnny Manziel was a notorious partier before entering the NFL, and that pattern earned himself a 10-week stint in rehab this offseason. However, it appears that his old habit is killing his NFL career once again.
A week after being named the permanent starter for the rest of the season by Cleveland Browns head coach Mike Pettine, the Browns have reversed course and given the job back to Josh McCown per a release from the team.
Yahoo Sports is reporting that the decision was made after Pettine and the Browns were made aware of a video TMZ obtained showing Manziel partying it up in Austin, Texas in what was being described as a “two day bender” by the second-year quarterback.
It isn’t the first time his partying ways have cost him the starting job, and the Browns have handled his health as priority No. 1 over anything else since his stint in rehab earlier this year.
“Everyone in this organization wants what is best for Johnny just like we do for every player in our locker room,” Pettine said via press release. “I’m especially disappointed in his actions and behavior because he has been working very hard. The improvements from last year to this year have been tremendous but he still has to consistently demonstrate that he has gained a good understanding of what it takes to be successful at the quarterback position on this level.
“It goes well beyond the field. We are going to continue to support him in every way possible, but at this point, we’ve decided it’s best to go with Josh as the starter going forward.”
While some are skeptical that the video is very recent, as Yahoo Sports! points out, there is a song by Future on in the background which wasn’t released until at least March of this year. So, it would have been after his stint in rehab.
The second-year quarterback earned the permanent gig after going 33 of 45 for 372 yards and a touchdown against the Pittsburgh Steelers two weeks ago.
Manziel seemed to be on the right track both professionally and personally, but it seems like this is yet another example of one step forward, two steps back for the young man.
It’s also another crazy hurdle for a Cleveland Browns organization that seems unable to get on the right track itself.
