Johnny Manziel’s turbulent time with the Cleveland Browns probably is over. The quarterback is expected to be cut by the Browns when the new NFL year begins on March 9. After two years in the league and the latest accusation against him, Manziel’s NFL career could flame out almost as quickly as he rose to stardom.
In the most recent accusation, Manziel’s former girlfriend Colleen Crowley says in an affidavit that the NFL quarterback restrained, hit and threatened her during an alleged assault. She says Manziel grabbed her by the hair and hit her ear, causing her to lose her hearing.
Manziel has denied hitting Crowley.
The Browns mostly have remained quiet, saying February 4 they’re aware of the reports of the alleged incident.
“We’ve been clear about expectations for our players on and off the field,” Sashi Brown, executive vice president of football operations, said February 2. “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. His status with our team will be addressed when permitted by league rules. We will have no further comment at this time.”
Browns head coach Hue Jackson echoed those thoughts at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis on Wednesday.
“I think his future on our team will be addressed here pretty soon,” he said. “But let me say this. I think it’s really important that obviously there was some people involved in this situation that happened, and I feel very bad about those things, as they do happen.
“But I want to make sure we all understand that that behavior will not be tolerated as we move forward. And that’s all I want to say about it. I want to leave it at that. Our organization is going to take a stand, and we’re going to move on from those kind of situations as we move forward.”
With the latest allegation, have we seen the last of Johnny Football? Here’s a look back on the highs and lows in the troubled life of Manziel.
June 29, 2012: Freshman season arrest
Manziel, a redshirt freshman at Texas A&M, was arrested and accused of disorderly conduct, failure to identify himself to police and having a fake identification card. He ultimately pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of failing to properly identify himself to police. The counts of possessing a fake driver’s license and a charge of disorderly conduct by fighting were dismissed when a judge accepted Manziel’s guilty plea.
November 10, 2012: Manziel helps topple No. 1 Alabama
Manziel takes the national stage, leading Texas A&M to a 29-24 upset win against No. 1 Alabama at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, propelling him into the Heisman Trophy conversation. Manziel was 24 of 31 passing for 253 yards and two touchdowns, and he rushed for 92 yards.
December 8, 2012: Manziel wins Heisman
Manziel makes history by becoming the first freshman to win the Heisman. Manziel called it “such an honor” to represent Texas A&M. “This is a moment I’ve dreamed about since I’ve been a kid, running around the backyard pretending to be Doug Flutie, pretending I was throwing Hail Marys to my dad,” Manziel said, gesturing to Flutie, the former Boston College quarterback who was onstage with other previous Heisman winners.
August 28, 2013: NCAA suspends Manziel
The NCAA announces that Manziel will serve a half-game suspension in Texas A&M’s season opener against Rice on August 31 for “inadvertent violation regarding the signing of certain autographs.” The NCAA and Texas A&M said there was no evidence that Manziel, already known for giving the “money sign” during games, received money in exchange for autographs, but it still suspended him.
He didn’t appear to be deterred once he entered the game, however, doing an autograph gesture and giving his money sign.
May 8, 2014: NFL draft
The Browns, trading up in the NFL draft, select Manziel as the 22nd overall pick. When his name is called, Manziel does the money sign when he walks on to the stage.
July 25, 2014: Browns “alarmed” about Manziel
According to a report from Cleveland.com, the Browns are “alarmed” by some of Manziel’s actions since they drafted him, including parties in College Station and Las Vegas as well as a photo surfacing of Manziel rolling up a $20 bill in the bathroom of a bar. Other photos during the partying showed Manziel drinking champagne.
August 18, 2014: Manziel’s obscene gesture
Manziel gives the middle finger toward the Washington Redskins’ bench during a preseason game; he would be fined a reported $12,000.
November 22, 2014: Incident at apartment building
Early in the morning, in the lobby at Manziel’s apartment building, a fan tells police that he was assaulted by someone in Manziel’s entourage. A few days later, Manziel said a “very intoxicated, very aggressive person” approached him in the lobby. “Luckily for us — I don’t want to go into a lot of detail about everything that happened because it all did happen so fast — security was able to get things under wraps, I’m very thankful for that as well,” Manziel said, according to Cleveland.com.
No arrests were made, and the fan later issued a statement on Facebook to apologize.
The Browns released a statement saying that they were gathering information to understand what happened and added, “Nonetheless, the time of the incident is concerning to us. We continually stress to all of our players the importance of sound decision making in an effort to avoid putting themselves in these types of situations. We have addressed this appropriately with the player and will have no further comment at this time.”
January 28, 2015: Manziel seeks treatment
Brad Beckworth, a friend and adviser to Manziel and his family, says in a statement that Manziel entered a treatment facility on January 28. The statement was released on February 2 but did not specify what type of treatment Manziel was receiving.
“Johnny knows there are areas he needs to improve on to help him be a better family member, friend and teammate, so he decided to take this step in his life during the offseason,” Beckworth said. “On behalf of Johnny and his family, we’re asking for privacy until he rejoins the team in Cleveland.”
The Browns released their own statement the same day: “We respect Johnny’s initiative in this decision and will fully support him throughout this process. 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.”
April 17: Manziel out of rehab
Manziel releases a statement after his stay at Caron, an alcohol- and drug-treatment facility in Pennsylvania:
“I would like to thank my family, friends, the Browns organization, my teammates and Browns fans everywhere for your patience, understanding and support during my stay at Caron. The doctors and staff have been amazing and what I’ve learned in the last couple of months has been tremendous.
“I owe private apologies to a lot of people that I disappointed but a very public one to the Browns organization 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. 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.
“Most of you have been considerate about that and I thank you for it. 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.”
June 17: Manziel retires the money sign
Manziel tells the media at the Browns team facility that he’s shelving the money sign celebration for good. “The money sign will not be back,” he said.
October 12: Incident in Avon, Ohio
In a dashcam video, a police officer pulled up to Manziel and Crowley, parked on the side of a road, telling them about “numerous calls” about their speeding BMW. Crowley told police that Manziel hit her several times to prevent her from leaving the car. However, she downplayed the incident. “I don’t want to make a big deal,” she said. No charges were filed.
January 2: Incident in North Olmsted, Ohio
According to CNN affiliate WOIO, Manziel was cited by North Olmsted police for driving with expired plates on his car. They had expired on September 20. It was the same car Manziel was driving when he was questioned by police on the side of a road on October 12. Manziel missed the Browns game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on January 3. According to an ESPN report, he was in Las Vegas that weekend in disguise and going by the name of “Billy.”
January 30: Alleged incident in Dallas
Crowley says Manziel restrained, hit and threatened her during an alleged assault. In an affidavit, Crowley says she was with Manziel at an upscale hotel in Dallas early in the morning of January 30. She says Manziel threw her on the bed and restrained her, preventing her from leaving the room. Crowley said she was still restrained as Manziel led her to the hotel’s valet, where she cried: “Please don’t let him take me. I’m scared for my life.”
The valet didn’t know what to do and allowed the pair to leave, according to the affidavit.
Crowley and Manziel then drove to Crowley’s car. They both got in — against her will, Crowley says — but she jumped out and hid behind bushes. “He grabbed me by my hair and threw me back into the car and got back in himself. He hit me with his open hand on my left ear for jumping out of the car. I realized immediately that I could not hear out of that ear, and I still cannot today, two days later,” the affidavit reads.
Crowley says she hit Manziel several times while still afraid for her life.
They then left Dallas for her apartment in Fort Worth. During the ride, Manziel allegedly threatened to kill both himself and her.
The fight continued at the apartment where Manziel allegedly smashed Crowley’s phone, and she pulled a knife out of her knife block and advanced toward him, according to the affidavit. He fled.
When reached by TMZ Sports, Manziel denied hitting Crowley.
February 5: Agent drops Manziel
Erik Burkhardt releases a statement that he has dropped Manziel as a client “after several emotional and very personal discussions with his family, his doctors and (Manziel) himself.”
“Though I will remain a friend and Johnny supporter, and he knows that I have worked tirelessly to arrange a number of professional options for him to continue to pursue, it has become painfully obvious that his future rests solely in his own hands,” Burkhardt says in the statement.
February 25: Manziel case sent to grand jury
Dallas police say that they have referred Manziel’s case to a district attorney as a misdemeanor assault/domestic violence allegation. In a statement on its blog Thursday, the department said its investigation is complete and it won’t comment while District Attorney Susan Hawk prepares the case for a grand jury.
