Will Rehab Help Johnny Manziel?
Dec 21, 2014; Charlotte, NC, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel (2) reacts in the second quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
What a disastrous start to the offseason by the Cleveland Browns and it only seems to be getting worse by the day.
First Josh Gordon fails another test, this time not pertaining to drugs but to alcohol and gets suspended for the year. Next Ray Farmer could be suspended along with the team losing a draft pick since it is alleged that he sent text messages to coordinators suggesting plays that they should run within possessions. Now, Johnny Manziel has been in rehab for a week to deal with his potential addiction to alcohol. While not as bad as the latter two, it is still news and publicity that the Browns don’t need.
It seems to have all turned bad for the Browns after the big win against the Cincinnati Bengals. The Browns went into Week 11 at 7-3. Low and behold, the Browns were leading the division. But bad losses against the remaining schedule along with two raw quarterbacks making their first starts in the form of Manziel and Connor Shaw, led to chaos. The mayhem then began with former offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan making a 32-page presentation of why he should be let out of his contract. It was followed by former quarterbacks coach Dowell Loggains and Farmer disputing over if owner Jimmy Haslam was present in the room when they drafted Manziel and if he had any influence on the pick.
Then anonymous teammates talked about their dislike for Manziel and how Brian Hoyer should of remained the starter on the team. That was followed by the team hiring an offensive coordinator in John DeFilippo that coaches the West Coast Offense instead of the Spread, which suits Johnny’s style. The theme here if you aren’t paying attention has been based around Manziel.
His antics on and off the field had been enough for everybody and it seems like it has finally been enough for Johnny himself. Before he even stepped foot into the NFL, he was known and seen as a person who partied and drank heavily. The video of him at Texas A&M with the stacks of money in his hand along with him drinking a bottle of alcohol while laying on a inflatable swan, are the visions that fans have of him and unfortunately judge him by. The contradiction of him saying that he should be a better player on a Tuesday but then partying on Friday and being late to treatments on Saturday are what he is remembered for. The drunk ” Happy birthday,” message in Miami to Lebron James along with the picture of himself and Gordon taking a picture in Aspen with beer and liquor bottles visible, is what most won’t accept.
Most realized that he needed help, but it was up to Manziel to look into the mirror and see what everybody else saw. Eventually he did.
Most realized that he needed help, but it was up to Manziel to look into the mirror and see what everybody else saw. Eventually he did. Last Wednesday, Johnny checked into a undisclosed rehab facility that is hours away from Cleveland. It is not known how long he will stay there but it is a step in the right direction for the 22-year old. He realizes that he has a problem and wants to cure himself of further damage. I believe that Gordon getting suspended for a year without pay was a big wake up call for Manziel and potentially led to this decision. I just wish that Gordon did the same thing and seeked help instead of making constant excuses for his failures. It is a step in the right direction and is great when a person of any ilk realizes that they have a problem and need help to cure it.
There are two things that can come from his experience at the facility. He can learn from his antics and alcoholism and become a better person, teammate and man or he could be using this all as a PR stint and go back to his old ways and find himself out of the NFL. In the end, it is up to Manziel and what he decides to do what his life but all fans can hope for is that he turns his life around and becomes the talented quarterback we saw in college.