Practically everyone and their brother has weighed in on troubled Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel and his off-field behavior.
Now we can add Manziel’s 73-year old grandfather Norman Paul Manziel to the list of folks speaking up on young Johnny. Standing up for his grandson during an interview with Martin Gould of the Daily Mail, Manziel cast partial blame at Johnny’s ex-girlfriend Colleen Crowley.
“The girl has her problems.”
Manziel Sr. continued but trailed off before finishing a sentence.
“I’m not saying Johnny’s troubles are all caused by her, but…”
Defending his grandson’s right to privacy, Manziel further commented while reportedly becoming agitated per Gould.
“Everyone just needs to leave the boy alone. He needs his privacy right now. If he was left alone, he’d be all right. But he can’t sit down without being bothered. … His privacy starts where your nose ends. He’s not public property. He doesn’t owe anybody anything.”
Crowley, whom Manziel Sr. mentions above, accused Johnny of hitting her multiple times as well as threatening to kill her while intoxicated, during their most recent altercation. No charges have been filed, but a protective order was issued by the court that keeps Manziel away from Crowley for two years.
Four months prior to Crowley’s latest allegations, the two were engaged in an incident when she accused Manziel of physical misconduct while the two argued in a moving car. Both had reportedly been drinking earlier that same day.
Manziel’s grandfather isn’t the only one who thinks Crowley has had a negative impact on the Johnny. Per Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, NFL Network analyst Deion Sanders evaluated the Manziel/Crowley turbulence.
“Johnny’s in love. And Johnny’s in love with something that’s crippling him right now. He’s trying to find himself. And I empathize with him. Johnny’s girlfriend. That’s his issue. I’m not saying she is the problem. I’m saying their relationship is inflammatory.”
Manziel and Crowley reportedly broke up in December and their latest fight occurred on Jan. 30. Manziel has since denied all of Crowley’s allegations and said he is “completely stable,” according to TMZ Sports.
Many would beg to differ that Manziel is anywhere near that.
And, unfortunately, Manziel has a knack for putting himself in the public limelight, despite his grandfather’s wishes for privacy.
Getting into drunken public arguments, posting questionable photos and videos to social media and blatantly disrespecting the Browns organization are just a few examples of why Manziel is a household name for the wrong reasons.
Hopefully the two-year protective order to keep Manziel and Crowley apart will at least assist in helping the quarterback in getting this aspect of his life back together.