Gone: Johnny Manziel was released by the Cleveland Browns Friday morning
'Johnny Manziel was released by the Cleveland Browns Friday morning'
Read the story sfter the cut .....
The quarterback was selected with the No. 22 overall pick in the 2014 draft by the Browns. Manziel, who has had problems both on and off the field, was seen partying in Los Angeles earlier this week
The quarterback sought treatment for his drinking in college, and entered rehab early last year
The Browns released a statement about Manziel's release with his stats with the team, including number of interceptions he threw for each year
Manziel will still be paid $7.7million despite being let go two years early from a four-year contract
Read the story sfter the cut .....
The quarterback was selected with the No. 22 overall pick in the 2014 draft by the Browns. Manziel, who has had problems both on and off the field, was seen partying in Los Angeles earlier this week
The quarterback sought treatment for his drinking in college, and entered rehab early last year
The Browns released a statement about Manziel's release with his stats with the team, including number of interceptions he threw for each year
Manziel will still be paid $7.7million despite being let go two years early from a four-year contract
The disgraced quarterback, who has had problems both on and off the field since being drafted by the Browns with the No. 22 overall pick in the 2014 draft, was waived by the team early Friday.
The move comes as no surprise and Manziel seems to be unfazed, having been spotted partying with friends in Los Angeles earlier this week.
Manziel was only two years into his four-year contract with the Browns which was worth a reported $8.245million. Despite being cut, Manziel is still guaranteed $7.7million of that contract.
The 23-year-old also scored some of the most coveted, and lucrative, endorsement deals in the sports world after being drafted with, among others, Nike, McDonald's, MusclePharm, and Snickers.
Manziel released a statement Friday saying; '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.
'I will always remember the support I received from the organization, my teammates and especially the fans.'
Farewell: The quarterback was selected with the No. 22 over pick in the 2014 draft by the Browns (above in November)
Not bothered: Manziel was spotted parting in Los Angeles on Monday night (above) with friends
The team broke the news of Manziel's release on Twitter, including a statement that read; 'Manziel appeared in 14 games with eight starts after being selected by the Browns in the first round of the 2014 draft.
'He completed 147 of 258 passes for 1,675 yards with seven touchdowns and seven interceptions. He added 259 rushing yards and one score.
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. I will always remember the support I received from the organization, my teammates and especially the fans.
Johnny Manziel 'Last season Manziel started six games and threw for 1,500 yards with seven touchdowns and five interceptions, while adding 230 rushing yards.'
The 2012 Heisman Trophy winner has struggled since he was selected by the Browns in the first round of the 2014 draft, playing in just 14 games over the course of his professional career and becoming better known for his partying than his actual game play.
Party rock: Manziel was also spotted in Las Vegas with Scott Disck last weekend (above)
There had been some promise that this season would be better for the quarterback after he completed a lengthy stay in rehab in early 2015, but he was spotted partying on multiple occasions and was involved in another incident with his girlfriend Colleen Crowley in October where she alleged he had slammed her head into a window.
The NFL is still looking into the claims Crowley made back then to see if he violated the league's personal-conduct policy.
That investigation, and the possibility he may soon face domestic abuse charges for a January incident that occurred between him and Crowley, will likely cause problems for him as he looks to sign with another team.
There has been some talk Manziel could go to the Dallas Cowboys and play behind Tony Romo or perhaps the Denver Broncos, but it is still unclear what his professional future holds.
No worries: Manziel (center) was spotted chugging champagne just days after his disappointing rookie season ended with a friend (left) and then girlfriend Colleen Crowley
Then things began to deteriorate to a point of no return between Manziel and the Browns when he allegedly skipped the last game of the season to party in Las Vegas after being declared ineligible to play.
Manziel was reportedly spotted trying to go incognito while gambling and drinking by wearing a blond wig.
He has denied claims he was in Vegas, and said he had been at his home in Cleveland alone with his dog.
Browns executive vice president of football operations Sashi Brown released a statement in early February that basically let everyone know the quarterback was finished with the team, saying; 'We've been clear about expectations for our players on and off the field.
'Johnny's continual involvement in incidents that run counter to those expectations undermines the hard work of his teammates and the reputation of our organization.
'His status with our team will be addressed when permitted by league rules. We will have no further comment at this time.'
The NFL also reached out to offer Manziel help, with Troy Vincent, the NFL's executive vice president of football operations, saying; 'We wish to give Johnny as much support as he is willing to receive, we can't make anyone do anything.
'I've seen his father make a statement, reach out to the family to make sure the family knows the National Football League, the Cleveland Browns, the players association — everyone's here to support you, but you have to embrace it.'
Cheers: Manziel (far left) has twice been in rehab, once while in college and again early last year
Ladies love Money Manziel: The quarterback jetted off to Cab for a weekend after the Browns seemed to suggest he would be cut in early February
Even his own father admitted he was afraid for his son, saying in an interview with the Dallas Morning News in early February that the family had twice asked Manziel to go back to rehab.
The family also admitted Manziel to a psychiatric and chemical dependency hospital which he was able to leave after he refused to get treatment for his addiction.
Paul Manziel said that he was concerned his son would not live to see his next birthday.
Friends of Manziel came to his defense soon after, saying the quarterback was fine.
A week later, Manziel seemed to have no cares in the world though as he jetted off to Cabo San Lucas on a private jet and stayed at a plush $2,500 a night villa.
The under-fire NFL star was joined by four friends for the six day sunshine break, sources told DailyMail.com.
And sources close to the Cleveland Browns quarterback say the all-male group threw wild parties at the luxury villa inviting as many as 15 girls a time to join them.
Witnesses say the five-bedroom property was littered with bikini-clad girls hanging by the pool throughout the week at the beginning of February as the group enjoyed themselves.
Rolling in the deep: Just before his first season began with the Browns a photo emerged of Manziel rolling a bill by a sink with friends
Manziel was known for his partying while at Texas A&M, but said he was a changed man during the 2014 NFL Draft, noting that he had 'grown up,' before being selected 22nd overall by Cleveland.
He also texted the Browns during the draft saying if they selected him they could 'wreck this league.'
Just days into his training with the Browns however, the local press began calling him out on his partying, which they cited as the major reason for his poor performance on the field.
A source told Cleveland.com at the time; 'Team officials had bought into Manziel's pre-draft promises to tone down the partying and leave his frat-boy lifestyle back in College Station, Texas, and they've been stunned by his non-stop antics.'
Also causing some alarm before the season even began was a photo snapped of Manziel and later posted to Instagram that showed the footballer at a bar in the process of tightly rolling up a dollar bill while standing over a sink counter, leading some to suggest that he might have been snorting cocaine.
Browns head coach Mike Pettine spoke to Manziel soon after the problematic photo was posted, a photo that could have led to an inquiry or a drug test from the NFL, and said he felt that things were back on track and that Manziel was focused on football once again.
Troubles: Just days into his training with the Browns the local press began calling him out on his partying, which they cited as the major reason for his poor performance on the field
There was also an odd incident during the regular season when he got into a fight with a fan in the lobby of his apartment building, and while alcohol seems to have played a role in the incident, it was the fan who was inebriated, not Manziel.
The team was concerned however as the indent occurred at 2:30am and they were flying to Atlanta that same morning to play the Falcons.
A very thorough and detailed story published by ESPN in 2013 said that after his arrest for disorderly conduct back in 2012 and while still at college, Manziel did seek help for an alcohol problem, seeing an counselor for six or seven weeks.
Manziel would later claim this report was false, and that he had never seen a counselor for anger management or for alcohol abuse while in college.
After a rookie season in which he saw limited game time and suffered difficult losses in his only two starts, Manziel ended the year by angering the Browns.
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