Johnny Manziel apologizes to Browns, fans
In his first public comments since being released after a lengthy stay in a rehab facility, Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel issued an apology to the Browns and the fans "that I let down."
"I take full responsibility for my actions and it's my intention to work very hard to regain everyone's trust and respect. I understand that will take time and will only happen through what I do and not what I say," Manziel said. "I also understand there's a lot of curiosity about this but anyone who has a friend or family member that's been through things like this knows it's an ongoing process. I'm going to continue to ask folks to try to respect my privacy as I determine to what degree I am comfortable talking about a subject which I consider very personal."
Manziel entered Caron Pennsylvania, an alcohol and drug treatment center, in late January after a rocky rookie year with the Browns, both off and on the field.
The former Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback lost the battle to be the starting quarterback to Brian Hoyer in August, and played sparingly (and was ineffective) in a specialty package for the few first months of the year. Finally given the chance to start in December, he struggled.
His rookie year ended prematurely with a hamstring injury, and with this ugly stat line: 175 passing yards, two interceptions, three sacks, one fumble, and just one (rushing) touchdown.
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His off-the-field antics generated far more headlines, starting in the weeks after the Browns selected him with the No. 22 pick last May.
His well-documented escapades in the last year alone included swigging champagne from a bottle while floating on an inflatable swan in a nightclub pool; slurring his words while talking into a stack of cash meant to be a telephone; a picture from a nightclub bathroom that appeared to show him rolling up a $20 bill; a disturbance with a fan in the lobby of his Cleveland apartment building hours before the team traveled to a road game in November; and missing a walkthrough and treatment session after throwing a party at his condo on the final weekend of the regular season.
He was also photographed in Aspen with embattled Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon shortly after the regular season ended – a troubling sign for both players given their off-field issues. Gordon, who had previously served two suspensions for violations of the NFL's drug policy and plead guilty to a drunken driving charge last year, tested positive for alcohol and in January received a year-long ban from the NFL.
Manziel was nearly invisible from the time he entered rehab, with his social media accounts sitting dormant, until early April. He spent Easter weekend with his family and played golf in Shreveport, La., where he posed for a picture with a golf pro there, and patients at a children's hospital documented his visit there on their own social media pages.
Among Manziel's first public outings was a baseball game in Arlington, Texas, last week, with his girlfriend.
But the spotlight will now shine bright on Manziel as he prepares to return to the Browns, whose offseason program officially begins on Monday with voluntary conditioning work.
He's returning to uncertainty about his football future. While Manziel was in rehab, the Browns signed veteran Josh McCown, and though head coach Mike Pettine has said there will be a competition, it seems unlikely that anyone but McCown is the starter in September.
Manziel will also have to repair relationships within the locker room. He won't be ostracized when he returns, but there are trust issues – as left tackle Joe Thomas, one of the team's most respected veteran leaders, said recently that Manziel "probably lost a lot of trust" for the way he handled himself during his rookie year.
"I look forward to seeing my teammates next week and focusing on football and my desire to be the best possible player, teammate, and man that I can be," Manziel said.
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Follow Lindsay H. Jones on Twitter @ByLindsayHJones