Johnny Manziel’s travails continue. Just a week after he won the starter’s job at the Cleveland Browns, Manziel has been axed as the team’s first-choice quarterback after footage emerged of him partying in an Austin nightclub.
On Monday, TMZ published video of Manziel with a bottle of champagne in his hand last weekend during the Browns’ bye week. Manziel entered rehab earlier this year for an unspecified problem and was also pulled over by police after arguing with his girlfriend last month.
And now Josh McCown will start Monday’s game against Baltimore, with Manziel relegated to third-choice quarterback.
Head coach Mike Pettine said in a statement: “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.”
Manziel, who grew up in the city of Tyler and attended Texas A&M, refused to comment on the matter at a charity event on Monday, but acknowledged that he had been in Texas on Thursday and Friday night. Manziel’s last appearance for the Browns, against Pittsburgh, was impressive: he threw for 372 yards and completed 73.3% of his passes even though the Browns crashed to a 30-9 loss.
“It’s a little easier to handle when it’s just a one-time occurrence, but when behavior repeats, not just him but with anybody, it’s certainly a cause for concern,” Pettine said of Manziel.
He added: “You have a vision of what you want the team to look like, how you want them to handle themselves when they’re out of the building. We talk a lot about it ... so when things like this happen – and not just him, but just in general – any team when you have incidents like that [where] a guy knows that he represents more than himself and has issues off the field, it is frustrating.”
McCown, who was cleared to play on Tuesday after a rib injury, said he supported Manziel. “It’s hard to comment on what a team-mate does outside the building, as long as he’s doing what he’s supposed to inside. My hope for him is whatever those choices he makes are healthy choices and are good for him as a person,” he said. “I’m behind the guy 100% and want nothing but the best for him.”
Another of Manziel’s team-mates, Karlos Dansby, said Manziel is “a prisoner of his success.”
