April 26--Former Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel has been indicted in Texas on a misdemeanor assault charge stemming from an incident involving his ex-girlfriend.
Manziel could receive a maximum punishment of one year in jail and a $4,000 fine.
The former Heisman Trophy winner has been accused of hitting ex-girlfriend Colleen Crowley in the head -- so hard that she temporarily lost her hearing -- during an altercation in January.
According to the indictment, Manziel struck Crowley and forced her "into a vehicle and against a vehicle dashboard."
"Johnny will certainly plead 'not guilty' and we believe the evidence will support that plea," El Paso lawyer Jim Darnell, one of Manziel's attorneys, said in a statement issued through Manziel spokesperson Denise Michaels.
Manziel's case was heard by a Dallas grand jury on Thursday. The indictment was handed down Tuesday.
Police spoke to Crowley, interviewed several witnesses and reviewed medical records before asking the district attorney's office to present the case to a grand jury, an unusual step for a misdemeanor case, media reports said.
Crowley has obtained a restraining order that prevents Manziel from seeing her for two years.
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