Browns Hall of Famer details the moment he knew 'Johnny Football' wouldn't last
It is hard to imagine what Johnny Manziel could have been if things had played out a little bit differently for him and the Cleveland Browns. For s stretch in the early 2010s, Manziel, aka Johnny Football, was one of the most exciting players in college football. Then the Browns took a flyer on the […]
It is hard to imagine what Johnny Manziel could have been if things had played out a little bit differently for him and the Cleveland Browns.
For s stretch in the early 2010s, Manziel, aka Johnny Football, was one of the most exciting players in college football. Then the Browns took a flyer on the young quarterback with the 22nd pick in the 2012 NFL Draft.
He was supposed to change the direction of the franchise, but his partying habits got in the way instead. And as it turns out, Joe Thomas, NFL Hall of Famer, knew that the Browns' tenure with Manzeil wasn't going to work out.
"Well, shortly after we drafted him, he vanished in the spring. We were in the middle of OTAs, and the coaches couldn’t find him," Thomas explained to Dan Patrick. "He’d come to Cleveland. He was there for like a day. He was at practice, and then he just disappeared. And I think he was just on a bender somewhere in Cleveland partying and he couldn’t find his way back to the facility.
"It was at that moment I was like, ‘We may have some problems with this young rookie here if he can’t even find his way during OTAs when he’s a rookie and he should be trying to put his best foot forward."
Thomas said he hasn’t watched the new documentary on Netflix’s "Untold" the features the former star quarterback. It isn't entertaining for him because he lived it.
"I’m a little conflicted. … I’m not sure if I want to watch it because I lived it. And there are still a few scabs I’m peeling off right now after those Johnny Manziel moments. I’m a little bit torn," Thomas said.
Since Manziel was released from the Browns, he has since spent time in the Canadian Football League, the now-defunct American Alliance of Football, and the Fan-Controlled Football League. A far cry from Johnny Football, for sure.
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Feature image via Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports.
