It’s been a rather tumultuous NFL rookie year for former college standout Johnny “J-Man” Manziel. His time with the Aggies of Texas A&M University was glorious and brief, but Manziel has been mostly an afterthought during his tenure with the Browns of Cleveland, whether he’s on the field (which he has been very little of the time) or off it. His played in four games total this season, and his rookie year stat line reads like this: 18-of-35 on passing attempts for 175 yards, with two interceptions, one fumble, and zero touchdowns–in other words, what Jay Cutler does before fourth-quarter garbage time. (He also rushed for 29 yards and a touchdown on nine attempts–in other words, what Trent Richardson does always.)
In fact, Manziel missed treatment for a hamstring injury just before the final game of the Browns’ season–apparently because he had thrown a kickin’ party at his Cleveland condo the night before. Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon, who’s had more than his own share of off-the-field troubles this year, allegedly attended the party as well, missed a practice the next morning, and was suspended the the team’s final game. Gordon is an adult and responsible for his own mistakes, though we can hardly blame him for wanting to be around one of the most prominent bartenders in the world.
And, once the season was over, Manziel decided to apologize for his ongoing antics. “It’s about actions,” he said, when discussing the party and his overall lack of focus this year, and continued:
It’s about being accountable and doing what I’m going to say….It was a mistake by me. At the same time, you can sit here and say and talk and say this all you want, but when your actions don’t reflect that, and you make a conscious decision to put yourself in the position that you stay out too late and not wake up the next morning, that’s going to cause a lot of trouble, so I did that to myself. I brought this on myself….I don’t think it’s fair to anybody in this locker room the distractions I’ve brought at points in time. So I’m sorry to these guys that are veterans in this locker room and know what it takes, that I’m having to learn the hard way….I’m either going to learn or I’m going to be finding something else to do.
Manziel also called himself a “jackass.” Big words, from a man whose diminutive stature gave potential employers pause during the run-up to the NFL draft. So: How did Manziel begin to make good on his promise to change, to take the game more seriously, and to hold himself accountable for his own actions?
Why, he took his talents to South Beach, of course. Via Instagram:
The retreat came on “getaway day” for the Browns–their term for the first official day off after season’s end. As cleveland.com points out, Manziel didn’t break any laws or team rules (ones that we know about, anyway). But his retreat, a mere three days after issuing a heartfelt apology to the Browns Nation, didn’t sit well with observers.
(Photo credit: JManziel2 on Instagram)
