Has Johnny Manziel Worn Out His Welcome With The Browns And The NFL?
The Cleveland Browns have had enough. After earning the spot as the main signal caller for Cleveland, Johnny Manziel has been demoted to the number three position. Mike Pettine announced that Josh McCown would be the starter for Monday Night Football against the Ravens. It looks like Manziel is quickly wearing out his welcome in the NFL and with the Browns.
Manziel performed well enough against the Steelers to gain the starting spot for the rest of the year. He told reporters that he would be on his best behavior over the bye week. He assured Mike Pettine and the Browns organization that he would do nothing to make Cleveland look bad. He expressed his gratitude via ESPN and seemed to be ready for the challenge.
“I let him know that I’m not going to do anything that’s going to be a distraction to this team or be an embarrassment to the organization,” Manziel said. “I’m going to come back and gear up for these last set of games that we have and come in fresh-minded, ready to go and excited to be back on the football field. So I don’t think they’re going to have to worry about me this week.”
An angry, distressed, and frustrated Mike Pettine viewed the recording and didn’t hesitate. He benched Manziel and promoted McCown. As reported by NFL Network, Pettine addressed the incident through a statement released by the Browns organization.
“Everyone in this organization wants what is best for Johnny just like we do for every player in our locker room. 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.”
For some reason, Manziel can’t stay away from controversy. Embarrassment should be the least of his worries. After giving a public statement to Pettine and the Browns, they can no longer trust what he says. When Manziel entered the league, expectations were high. Johnny Football was going to be the next best thing since sliced bread. But he has been underwhelming and done more off the field than on it.
It’s not surprising that Manziel decided to get wild and loose. That seems to be the norm with the majority of superstar athletes. But the NFL has seen enough trouble from its stars in the past few years. Manziel would have been better off staying in Cleveland and studying the playbook for the Ravens. He should have been “gearing up” for his prime time debut as the future of Cleveland.
This incident is enough to make the average football fan wonder if Manziel will be suiting up for the Browns next year.
Last month, Manziel made headlines after witnesses reported him driving dangerously on an interstate highway and his girlfriend said he had gotten physical with her in the car. Manziel was questioned by police, who smelled alcohol on Manziel’s breath but did not give him a sobriety test because he showed no signs of inebriation.
The NFL decided not to discipline the budding star. That was the first mistake. Maybe they shouldn’t have given him a pass on that test.
[Feature Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images]
