The Cleveland Browns’ locker room mantra is “Play like a Brown.”
I think the Browns should change their motto to “Act like a Brown.”
On Oct. 12, Cleveland quarterback Johnny Manziel was involved in yet another off-field incident when he was pulled over after being seen fighting with his girlfriend, Texas Christian University student Colleen Crowley.
Police reports said Manziel was driving through several lanes at high speeds and had pushed Crowley’s face into the car window.
The reports also said Manziel was sober; however, he admitted to drinking downtown earlier in the day.
When Manziel spoke with officials to explain his side of the argument, he said Crowley threw his wallet and phone out of the window so he pulled over and asked her to look for them.
“I grabbed her arm like this, ‘Hey, get in the car, get in the car, let’s go home,” Manziel said. “I’ll come back and find it later.”
Manziel took to Twitter to address the situation, stating in his tweet, “It looked more interesting than it was.”
Oh, Mr. Manziel, just how wrong you are.
Since Manziel was drafted in 2014, he has had a number of off-field distractions and has missed several practices because of his late nights out.
Many people, including me, gave Manziel credit for checking into a 10-week rehab facility during the offseason to help with his drinking problem.
It seemed like it was the first step to turning himself into the true professional quarterback the Browns drafted, and for a while it seemed to be working.
Manziel came back with a work-first attitude and even went on camera to issue an apology to the Browns organization and fans of the NFL.
He later won his first career game when the Browns defeated the Tennessee Titans, 28-14, in week two. He threw two touchdowns in the game.
Manziel was not failing as a quarterback in the NFL, but just last Monday it was apparent that he failed the most important aspect of his football career, and his personal life, thus far.
He failed at rehab.
When someone, especially an NFL icon like Manziel, gets out of rehab, he should get himself away from that kind of temptation.
Since he clearly failed to do so, it has now led to the big question concerning Manziel’s football career: Is he becoming too much of a liability?
My answer is yes.
Many people, however, have come to the defense of Manziel with the famous “kids-will-be-kids” saying.
But he is not a kid. He is a young adult who is being paid a lot of money while receiving all the fame and benefits of being an NFL player. But, when things go wrong, they’re suddenly “just kids”?
That’s absurd.
Tampa Bay quarterback Jameis Winston is a perfect example of how a player facing similar distractions can turn himself around. Winston had his share of troubles in college at Florida State but has come into the league this year as a young rookie with a good mind-set, and that’s to do his job and play football.
Granted, if Manziel were the everyday starter I don’t believe this incident would have happened due to all the responsibility he would have had as a starting quarterback in the NFL.
If Manziel acts like this as a backup quarterback in the NFL, why would a team want to risk this happening with him as the starter?
I wouldn’t be surprised if the Browns release him at the end of the season, and I strongly believe no team would risk picking him up.
If I’m Manziel, I’m sitting down and really thinking about what happened this week because Manziel’s walking on thin ice, and it’s starting to crack.
It’s probably best if he doesn’t “Play like a Brown,” but starts to “Act like a Brown.”
Or maybe he should “Act like an Adult.”
micbhern@indiana.edu
