Last week, while NFL a fans around the world prepared for the Super Bowl, Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel volunteered to attend inpatient rehab. It’s a critical step for Manziel, whose off-field incidents seem to have a common thread. Alcohol.
Wether he’s in Aspen, CO. partying with suspended WR and teammate Josh Gordon, or in the VIP area of some club with his good friend Dom Perignon, Johnny Manziel seems to enjoy his potent potables.
We all know that alcohol can derail the strongest, most focused, and determined of us. So why can’t Johnny abstain when he seemingly has the world, or at least NFL stardom, at his fingertips? Addiction.
As mentioned, Manziel and Browns WR Josh Gordon have become good friends. Gordon is no stranger to the leagues substance abuse policy and has broken it now for a third time since his rookie year in 2013. Twice for failed marijuana tests and most recently for a failed blood-alcohol test.
One might think that these two could really benefit from a close friendship, being peers and reaffirming good decisions for one another. I’m pretty sure none of that was happening in Aspen.
As a huge Browns fan, this concerns me from an organizational misbehavior standpoint.
God knows there are people within the Browns organization that have walked every step of the 12-step program. At AA you learn to stop using others and/or being used by others to justify your actions. So why allow these two extremely valuable young men to act in co-dependence? Where are the management team?
Suppose the Cleveland Browns are the vehicle, Johnny Manziel is the passenger, and Ray Farmer is driving. I picture Farmer swerving all over the road in a very out of control fashion. If he doesn’t give his undevided attention to the task at hand, he’s going to crash and might lose Manziel in the process.
I know it’s not their place to babysit, but I’d like the Browns to take a lot more leadership in the paths their players are going down. I have a hard time believing there isn’t someone special that they could hire to do this for them.
Shame on the Browns for not providing good counsel and mentors that help keep their young players out of the headlines. Congratulations and thank-you to Johnny Manziel for having the sense to volunteer for treatment.
I expect if treatment is successful we’ll see a more focused and mature Johnny Manziel. Not in the newspaper where he resides today but instead on the field in 2015 back to winning everything in sight.
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