Cleveland Browns head coach Mike Pettine says he has spoken to Johnny Manziel about some of the photos that have been taken of the former Texas A&M star throughout the offseason. More specifically, Pettine asked Manziel about the photo that showed him rolling up a $20 bill in front of a bathroom sink.
According to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, Manziel “responded positively” to Pettine’s questions. Pettine would not, however, share any details of the conversation.
“I don’t want to get into a (public) discussion of every picture that comes out, but I talked to him about it,” the first-year coach said. “We anticipate this will quiet down once the season starts. As committed as Johnny is to football, this stuff should not be an issue once camp gets underway.”
Pettine said that he would only be concerned about Manziel’s behavior if it continued throughout the season, which seemed to indicate that the team is not all that thrilled with the headlines Manziel has created. Pettine also said he spoke to Manziel about the infamous “money phone” video and has reason to believe it was not recent.
“I haven’t verified it, but somebody told me that it wasn’t recent,” Pettine said.
Rookies will report to Browns training camp on Wednesday. As we inch closer to the regular season, the spotlight on Manziel is only going to get brighter. If Manziel struggles on the field and photos of him partying continue to surface, the media is going to crucify him.
