CLEVELAND — Johnny Manziel’s tightest spiral with the Browns was a downward one.
Less than two years after arriving armed with a Heisman Trophy, full of swagger and touted as a savior for this football-frenzied city’s sagging franchise, Manziel was shown the door — a rude exit for the overhyped quarterback.
Manziel, who did as much partying as playing during two drama-filled seasons with the Browns, was waived Friday.
Welcomed as a hero, he leaves as one of the biggest busts in team — and perhaps — NFL history.
Johnny Be Gone.
The Browns had hoped to recoup something for the former Texas A&M star, but after failing to find a team interested in trading for him the past two days, the team finally cut ties. Cleveland announced its move with a simple sentence: “The Cleveland Browns have waived Johnny Manziel.” The Browns included his pedestrian statistics but not any comment.
Actions, not words. That was the same mantra they asked of Manziel, who always promised to change his behavior but never did.
The Browns drafted Manziel in the first round in 2014, hoping he could solve their long-term issue at quarterback and turn around a team that has only been to the playoffs once since 1999 and never to the Super Bowl.
Instead, Johnny Football was a two-year headache that wouldn’t go away.
“I’d like to thank the Browns for the opportunity they gave me — nearly two years ago, we all hoped that we were building what could be a championship team for Cleveland,” Manziel said in a statement released by his publicist. “I will always remember the support I received from the organization, my teammates and especially the fans.”
.neFileBlock {
margin-bottom: 20px;
}
.neFileBlock p {
margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px;
}
.neFileBlock .neFile {
border-bottom: 1px dotted #aaa;
padding-bottom: 5px;
padding-top: 10px;
}
.neFileBlock .neCaption {
font-size: 85%;
}
