Johnny Manziel promised the Cleveland Browns that he would not do anything during the bye week to embarrass the organization, and some feel that he did not live up to his word. That didn’t stop Manziel from trying to defend himself when asked about the recent footage that surfaced showing him partying with a bottle of champagne in his hand.
While volunteering at a food bank in Cleveland on Monday, Manziel hinted that the video could be old.
“You know there’s all kinds of people that come out. Videos can be old. Videos can be all kinds of different things,” he said, per Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. “So like I said, I’m not in a state to be able to speak on it because my focus has been on this today and what really matters in this game on Monday. So that’s where my focus has been. I did get a chance to relax. So I haven’t seen anything like that, and I’m not going to be able to speculate on it right now.”
If you haven’t seen the video, you can watch it here.
That’s a clever approach from Manziel, especially since so many videos of him drinking and partying have popped up since his days at Texas A&M. However, Cabot notes that a source confirmed to her that Manziel at least stopped into RIO nightclub in Austin, Texas Friday night. The video was shared on DJ LX’s Instagram account Friday night but has since been deleted. Another Instagram photo also showed Manziel at RIO Thursday night.
When asked specifically if the video was old, Manziel claimed he hasn’t seen it.
“I haven’t seen it, so I can’t speak on it,” he said.
All of the evidence suggests the video isn’t old. And if Manziel was — as has been reported — in alcohol rehab treatment for 10 weeks over the summer, the Browns have to be concerned.
During the offseason, Manziel seemed intent on proving that he is focusing solely on football and has removed distractions from his life. There’s nothing illegal about him partying during the bye week, but the timing looks bad when the Browns just committed to him as their starting quarterback for the remainder of the season. As you know, Manziel was also questioned by police over an incident with his girlfriend last month and admitted he had been drinking that day.
There’s no way the Browns are comfortable with all this.
