Johnny Manziel’s fate with the Browns may have been sealed after he led his team to a thrilling win over the Titans in Week 2.
In a revealing piece from Emily Kaplan of The MMQB, those close to Manziel describe how deflated the quarterback felt after Josh McCown was given Cleveland’s starting job back when he cleared the concussion protocol. Manziel was said to be “incredulous,” and both friends and members of the Browns organization told Kaplan that they feel the benching was a “tipping point.”
“If Johnny doesn’t have a carrot dangling in front of him, he resorts to his default,” one friend said. “And his default is not giving a s—.”
Manziel had supposedly gotten his drinking under control before that. We heard all about the new neighborhood he moved into and how he was trying to distance himself from distractions. When he thought he earned the starting job and had it taken away again, Manziel reportedly went off the rails.
More from Kaplan:
He wanted to party again, so he did, often showing up late to the facility for meetings and, according to a Browns source, sometimes sleeping off hangovers in the back of equipment rooms.
We have already heard a report claiming the Browns covered up for Manziel when he showed up to practice drunk. While most of the stories we heard about Manziel partying — like this incredible Vegas tale — came toward the end of the season, it sounds like everything went downhill for Manziel after Week 2.
