Johnny Manziel still holds a grudge against the Cleveland Browns a full decade after he last played for them.
In an appearance on the “Nightcap” podcast, Manziel revealed that he hates the Browns to this day, and feels the organization set him up for failure. The former quarterback even said he wants them to go winless every year.
“I think I will always be looked at because of how much hype and media and everything that was around me, and the city of Cleveland expecting me to be great, and that ultimately not panning out,” Manziel said. “I sit here today and I go back and forth. Am I going to let Cleveland off the hook and just let it go, or am I going to sit here with hate and animosity in my heart for the rest of my life? I finally sit here today and I’m like, f— it, I think I’m going to be pissed at them and hate them forever. No love for the Browns. I’m rooting for 0-16 seasons every season.”
Manziel did say that, while the Browns put him in a bad spot, he ultimately has to be blamed for blowing it.
“Was Cleveland the best situation for me to go to? Did they help me knowing all the things that they knew about me, with all the research and everything, did they put me in the best situation? Absolutely not. It was not the right situation for me,” Manziel added. “But when it comes down to it, you take all of that aside, you throw it away, and you look in the mirror and say I let an amazing opportunity slip. It’s on me.”
Manziel played 14 NFL games and started eight of them, going 2-6 in those starts. He was out of the league after the 2015 season due to a combination of mediocre on-field play and unacceptable off-field behavior.
Manziel does not hide the fact that his experience in Cleveland was an unpleasant one. As he alluded to, a lot of that is his own responsibility. On the other hand, it is likely difficult for him to separate the bad feelings from the organization, regardless of how culpable they actually were.
Ironically, despite his negative feelings, Manziel might inadvertently be helping the Browns build a new stadium in Cleveland.
