Johnny Manziel’s most recent run-in with police in Dallas and Fort Worth is only one of many issues the former Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback has had during the past few years.
Manziel was a singular talent during his time at Texas A&M, but has had issues making a similar impact on the professional level. But his off-field issues have come with unfortunate regularity.
Here’s a timeline of the many Manziel controversies, including this week’s event:
January 2016: Manziel is involved with a domestic violence altercation with his ex-girlfriend, leading to the Cleveland Browns announcement that “Johnny's continual involvement in incidents that run counter to those expectations undermines the hard work of his teammates and the reputation of our organization.” The Browns are expected to release Manziel in early March.
December 2015: Manziel reportedly spent the night before the Browns' Week 17 game against the Steelers in Las Vegas, partying while wearing a disguise. According to reports, Manziel identified himself as "Billy." Manziel was later fined for missing treatment for a concussion on the morning of that game.
Earlier in the month, Manziel had started against the Chiefs, only to have a video released the next day depicting Manziel – who has gone to rehab for alcohol abuse in the past – at a party where there was alcohol.
November 2015: Manziel was benched by Browns head coach Mike Pettine, after video surfaced of Manziel partying at Texas A&M two days after starting against the Cincinnati Bengals. Manziel reportedly partied on multiple nights during the Browns bye week, leading to the benching.
October 2015: Manziel admitted to drinking earlier in the day, after being questioned by police regarding an alleged domestic violence incident with his then-girlfriend (the same woman involved in the January 2016 incident). A 911 caller said a woman in Manziel's vehicle was attempting to jump out of the car. Manziel's girlfriend declined to press charges. Manziel was also questioned about dangerous driving, along the shoulder of the road. The following month, Manziel was cleared by the NFL of any discipline stemming from this event.
June 2015: Manziel was heckled by a fan at the AT&T Byron Nelson golf tournament, here in North Texas. Manziel handled the situation in a responsible fashion initially, but then spiked a water bottle at the fan who was berating him, in frustration.
February 2015: Manziel checked into a treatment facility, in an effort to combat issues with alcohol. “We respect Johnny's initiative in this decision and will fully support him throughout this process,” Browns GM Ray Farmer said in a statement. “Our players' health and well-being will always be of the utmost importance to the Cleveland Browns. We continually strive to create a supportive environment and provide the appropriate resources, with our foremost focus being on the individual and not just the football player. Johnny's privacy will be respected by us during this very important period and we hope that others will do the same.”
After a 10-week stint in the facility, Manziel checked out on April 11th. He would later apologize for the distractions he had caused during his rookie year, and vowed not to do his famous “money-fingers” celebration anymore.
November 2014: A skirmish at a Cleveland apartment complex called ‘The 9’, involving the quarterback and his entourage reportedly leaves a Browns fan injured. The fan claims that Manziel’s crew injured him. The fan later apologized.
August 2014: Manziel flipped off the Washington bench during a Browns preseason game. The next day, Brian Hoyer was named the Cleveland starter for 2014.
June 2014: Manziel was signed by the Browns, to a four-year, $8.25 million contract, with a $4.32 million signing bonus.
May 2014: Manziel was drafted with the 22nd selection in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft by the Browns.
August 2013: Manziel was at the center of an NCAA investigation into whether the Heisman Trophy winner was receiving payments for his autograph signings. Manziel had been accused of receiving a fee in excess of $10,000 for a signing event in Miami. Texas A&M and the NCAA released a statement, suspending Manziel for the first half of the Aggies first game of the year, against Rice.
July 2013: Manziel, then 20, was kicked out of a University of Texas frat party. TMZ reported that the quarterback was asked to leave because he may have been punished for underage drinking.
June 2012: Manziel was arrested and taken to jail for fighting. During the same incident, it was discovered he had a fake ID. He was charged with three crimes (all misdemeanors)—disorderly conduct, failure to identify, and possessing a false ID card. Manziel was briefly suspended by Texas A&M, and had to pay $2,000 after pleading guilty to the failure to identify charge.
All of this leads to a circumstance in which the Cleveland Browns want to cut ties with Manziel as soon as they can – and one in which it’s hard to imagine another NFL team wanting to bring the quarterback into their organization.
