By: Christopher Hall
Christopherhallsc.2010@gmail.com
June 18, 2015
It took a while and only time will tell how sincere he is
but it appears that Johnny Manziel is finally growing up. After a rocky rookie
reason that ended with a 10-week stay in Rehab, it appears that the flashy but
talented gunslinger out of Texas A&M has finally begun to show signs of
maturity.
Dating back to this days in College Station being dubbed “Johnny
Football” and flashing the money sign after touchdowns, it was no surprise when
his antics and distractions—both on the field and off—carried over to the NFL.
However, speaking out publicly for the first time since his
representatives stated he was entering rehab (which he concluded in the spring),
Manziel seems to have learned from his mistakes and ready to get to business.
As part of this new start, he told the media Wednesday that
he is retiring the money sign and will begin taking steps to be less of a
distraction for his teammates and the franchise as a whole.
“The money sign will not be back,” he told reports. “I feel
bad about throughout the last months of my life really thinking back and seeing
how much of my life outside of this field and outside of this locker room was
documented,” Manziel said.
He went on to explain how he regrets the effects his
decisions have made on those around him and he bought into all the hype while
in college and wants to get back to his roots and focus on the important
things.
“I think (the hype) just overtook who I was as a person, I
didn’t do my best to push it down. My focus is football. It’s what I’m here to
do and what I love to do,” he said. “Its not fair to my coaches and teammates
to be out here having to answer questions about me every day.”
Manziel says he ready to turn over a new leaf and become not
only a better player on the field but better person off the field as well. So far, he appears to be pointed in the
right direction.
Outside of an isolated event in which Manziel tossed a water
bottle at a persistent fan seeking an autograph a few weeks ago, he has
remained quiet and out of the limelight since rehab. He even made a few public appearances
at Cavs game throughout the playoffs.
As of right now, it’ll be more of a waiting game. He’s been
working with the second team offense during summer workouts as newcomer Josh
McCown, who signed with Cleveland in the off-season, is expected to get all the
first-team reps heading into training camp.
Who knows, maybe he can get back on track and be a valuable
asset for the Browns this year. I sure hope so and will be pulling for him to
get his act together—and more importantly—keep it together moving forward.
However, don’t expect Cleveland to have a major turnaround
this season. But in the least, maybe Manziel can prove to a solid back up for
the Browns and see significant playing time. If he can stay out of trouble and
the spotlight, he might be able to provide a little excitement for a city
that’s desperate for someone other than Lebron James to be proud of.
