Johnny Manziel has been demoted to third string in the wake of his alleged two-day party bender during the bye week, and it would not be a surprise if the Cleveland Browns part ways with him this offseason.
Mary Kay Cabot, a plugged-in Browns reporter for the Cleveland Plain Dealer, speculates that the team will sever ties with Manziel at some point after the season. Cabot said that the Browns could wait to see if Manziel “gets himself together” off the field enough that a team is willing to give up a draft pick for him, but she ultimately thinks Cleveland is “ready to move on.”
After the Browns named Manziel their starting quarterback for the rest of the season, head coach Mike Pettine and some front-office executives asked him to stay out of trouble during the bye week. While Manziel didn’t get into any legal trouble, he opened himself up to plenty of criticism by proudly posing for the camera in this video.
Either Manziel’s 10-week trip to rehab over the summer was a complete PR stunt that he couldn’t keep up with, or he still needs help. Even if the Browns are fine with Manziel going out and having a good time, it’s amazing that he allows people to take footage of him with booze bottles in his hand and doesn’t employ someone to follow him around and say “no cameras, guys.”
The Browns have given Manziel plenty of chances already. Between the latest video and the recent incident involving his girlfriend, it may be time for the team to accept that things just haven’t worked out.
