Johnny Manziel, predictably, had an atrocious rookie season last year, one in which he was not only documented partying during the season but also had the worst quarterback rating in the history of the NFL.
Manziel was in rehab for several weeks and was released only recently. He has issued the following statement:
“I would like to thank my family, friends, the Browns organization, my teammates, and Browns fans everywhere, for your patience, understanding, and support during my stay at Caron. The doctors and staff have been amazing and what I’ve learned in the last couple of months has been tremendous. I owe private apologies to a lot of people that I disappointed but a very public one to the Browns organization and the fans that I let down. I take full responsibility for my actions and it’s my intention to work very hard to regain everyone’s trust and respect. I understand that will take time and will only happen through what I do and not what I say. I also understand there’s a lot of curiosity about this but anyone who has a friend or family-member that’s been through things like this knows it’s an ongoing process. I’m going to continue to ask folks to try to respect my privacy as I determine to what degree I am comfortable talking about a subject which I consider very personal. Most of you have been considerate about that and I thank you for it. I look forward to seeing my teammates next week and focusing on football and my desire to be the best possible player, teammate, and man that I can be.”
He’s right. He can only gain everyone’s trust based on what he’ll do, not what he says.
It all starts at Browns mini-camp this summer. If he comes ready to play, he has a chance to lead a decent Browns team. If he bombs like he did last year, there are already rumors that the Browns could cut him from the roster.
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Josh Helmuth is the editor of CraveOnline Sports.
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