Johnny Manziel has been officially dropped by his agent for the second time in three months, according to reports.
Drew Rosenhaus, a longtime sports agent who has negotiated over $2bn worth of NFL contracts, announced last Wednesday that he was ending his relationship with Manziel, but would reverse the decision if Manziel entered a treatment facility within five days.
Manziel is currently without a team after being cut by the Browns in March. He was spotted at the Coachella festival in California over the weekend.
Rosenhaus said he decided to cut ties with Manziel “in the hopes of helping him get the treatment I believe he needs.”
“I have informed him that if he takes the immediate steps I have outlined for him, that I will rescind the termination and continue to represent him,” Rosenhaus said last Wednesday. “Otherwise the termination will become permanent. There is a five-day window for me to rescind the termination. I’m hoping he takes the necessary steps to get his life back on track.”
Rosenhaus has never fired a player in his 27 years as an NFL agent, according to ESPN. In February, Erik Burkhardt severed ties with Manziel after “several emotional and personal discussions”.
Burkhardt said at the time: “It is with deep regret that, after several emotional and very personal discussions with his family, his doctors and my client himself, I have made the decision to terminate my professional relationship with Johnny Manziel.”
Manziel was released by the Browns in March after two tempestuous seasons in Cleveland. The Heisman Trophy-winning college star didn’t come close to matching his hype in the NFL, and his poor on-field performance was mirrored by a string of off-field issues.
Manziel is the subject of a domestic violence case that is set to go before a grand jury on Thursday. Manziel is accused of hitting his ex-girlfriend Colleen Crowley so hard during an argument in January that she temporarily lost hearing in one ear.
The NFL is investigating whether Manziel violated its personal conduct policy in that incident. An indictment could be announced as early as Monday.
