Following the Dallas grand jury’s indictment of Johnny Manziel on misdemeanor assault charges, his lawyer is claiming his territory in the court of public opinion. Jim Darnell first issued a statement in which he confidently stated his opinion that Manziel will ultimately be acquitted of the charges against him.
Not long after that, Ian Rapoport passed along this information:
Jim Darnell, Johnny Manziel's lawyer, tells me there has been no settlement of any kind with Colleen Crowley, Manziel's ex-girlfriend
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 26, 2016
At this point, it seems clear that Darnell is ready to play hardball in court.
Of course, he wouldn’t be doing his job if he hadn’t made those statements. He’s been hired to protect Manziel from being disciplined by the court of law.
The charges against Manziel could lead to (at the maximum) a year in jail and a $4,000 fine. He’s been accused of hitting ex-girfriend Colleen Crowley several times and of threatening to kill her. He was also chased around by a police helicopter that same night.
However, Manziel might not have been the only antagonist in the relationship with his ex-girlfriend.
One report last week indicated that there is video evidence showing Crowley was hitting Manziel at a hotel on Jan. 30 and that it would ultimately vindicate the troubled quarterback.
It’s hard to say how this will all play out. The one thing we do know is that Manziel’s father has a significant financial advantage over Crowley, who may not be able to afford a high-profile attorney.
In the meantime, it will also be interesting to see if Manziel continues to party like it’s the last day of school or if he begins to clean up his act in preparation for what is will likely be the most important moment of his young life.