Despite a truly troubling past couple of months for Johnny Manziel, Cleveland Browns teammate Donte Whitner still sees a bright NFL future ahead of the quarterback, after he gets his life in order.
Speaking with Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, Whitner discussed Manziel’s future, but not before first addressing his present circumstances.
He touched on Manziel’s decision to go out partying (he was seen chugging champagne out of the bottle in Miami) hours after the Dallas Police Department sent his domestic violence case to the grand jury.
“I saw him in the club again, drinking out of the bottle with the hat and glasses on. It was like, there was really a lot of empathy there because if you get everything that you care about and worked so hard for all of your life stripped away from you, all the allegations that’s going on, there’s no way that you can be out partying and doing whatever, so there might be a serious problem there.”
Whitner said he tried getting in touch with his teammate via text, “but I got word back that he didn’t have a cell phone or didn’t have it on, so I tried to no avail.”
He acknowledged the fact that Manziel might need to take time away from football but still thinks the quarterback can make it in the NFL after he gets his life on track. Whitner hopes he can connect with Manziel during the offseason as he trains in Miami, knowing the quarterback spends time down there.
Whitner acknowledged the fact that Manziel might need to take time away from football but still thinks the quarterback can make it in the NFL after he gets his life on track.
“He still has potential,” he said. “And I don’t think it’s a sad ending. I don’t think it’s an ending for him. He’s what, 23 years old? If he gets the help that he needs and he does the training that he’s supposed to do, and does all of the things that we always talked about when I talk to him, then I believe he can be a starting quarterback in the National Football League. If he doesn’t, I don’t know what can happen.”
That Manziel has talent and potential has never been in question. His talent and potential are the reasons Cleveland spent a first-round pick on him, despite some red flags for off-field behavior.
Unfortunately at this time, it seems Manziel’s off-field problems are overwhelmingly taking over his life. He will almost certainly need to step away from football in order to get his addictive behaviors under control, and it’s still possible he could be facing some jail time for his domestic violence case against ex-girlfriend Colleen Crowley.
Still, as long as Manziel has guys like Whitner in his corner to help him pull out of the hole he’s dug himself in, there is hope for a brighter future.