Johnny Manziel Has Changed His Name To ‘John’
Former Texas A&M and Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel has had a tumultuous year. He publicly split with his wife, Bre Tiesi, per The Inquisitr. Manziel made an on-field comeback, signing with the Memphis Express of the Alliance of American Football, but the league announced last week that it is suspending operations.
Now, Manziel has announced another change, this time to his name.
Appearing on The Dan Patrick Show Monday, via YouTube, the player announced that he now wants to be known as “John” Manziel.
“I actually go by John these days,” Manziel told Patrick at the top of the segment. “I’m just kind of turning over the page and moving forward a little bit.”
The 26-year-old’s given name is Johnathan Paul Manziel, but he’s been known as “Johnny” throughout his career. For some time, he even went by the nickname “Johnny Football.”
In the interview, Manziel talked about the recent demise of the AAF, sharing that he had gone out onto the practice field that day only to be told that his league and team were no more. He added that he wants to continue his football career, and plans to continue to work towards signing on with another team.
He added that he’s had some open communication with NFL coaches, but didn’t indicate that a return to that league is close. And Manziel discussed his brief tenure in the Canadian Football League, telling Patrick that he has “no regrets” about his time north of the border.
A star in high school in Texas — and later at Texas A&M — Manziel won the Heisman Trophy in 2012. He was drafted by the Cleveland Browns — with the 22nd pick in the first round — in 2014, after the Browns traded up into the first round to take him.
Not a chyron typo. Johnny Manziel tells @dpshow he’s going by John Manziel these days. With AAF defunct, he’s working out with George Whitfield now. Has no regrets about going to Canada to play but would not say why he got kicked out. pic.twitter.com/U4xL5rDrtK
— Daryl Ruiter (@RuiterWrongFAN) April 8, 2019
However, Manziel’s tenure in the NFL was ill-fated, as he struggled on the field and was said to battle substance abuse issues. The Browns benched him at one point, after he was spotted partying in Texas during a bye week. Manziel was released by the team in March of 2016, after just two years, and he never signed with another NFL team. After that, Manziel was both cut by his CFL team and was banned from the league altogether.
Manziel played in two games this year for the Memphis Express, completing five passes in eight attempts, while throwing no touchdowns and one interception.
The former NFL player split with Tiesi, his wife, earlier this spring.
