It's been more than two years since Johnny Manziel's career in Cleveland came to an end. But the former Browns' quarterback is now opening up about what went wrong during his two years in Northeast Ohio.
Appearing on Barstool Sports' 'Pardon My Take' podcast, Manziel said his issues in Cleveland began on the night he was drafted. The 2012 Heisman Trophy winner said he took issue with falling all the way to 22nd in the 2014 NFL Draft, which led to a bad attitude from the very beginning in his time with the Browns.
"I never really gave Cleveland a chance," Manziel said. "I felt like a sense of entitlement, like I deserved and was owed to be drafted higher or go somewhere I wanted to go, when in reality I had no control over that."
Of course, those weren't Manziel's only issues in Cleveland.
By the time he had even reported to his first camp with the Browns, the Texas A&M product appeared to be held back by his hard-partying lifestyle, which ultimately landed him in rehab after the season. And in his second season, he was benched after being caught partying on social media during the Browns' bye week.
On Monday, Manziel -- who hasn't played in organized football since the end of the 2015 campaign -- told Good Morning America that he has since been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. He insists that he is now sober and working toward a football comeback and currently holds a standing contract offer from the Canadian Football League's Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
According to Manziel, however, his failure with the Browns wasn't solely his fault. Despite his own struggles, he insists the team didn't do much to harness a fostering environment in his rookie season.
"Cleveland, they definitely didn't help me learn," he said. "I had no idea what I was supposed to study. No idea what an NFL schedule was supposed to look like."
Although he said that changed a year later when veteran Josh McCown signed with the Browns, by then, it was too late. Two years later, Cleveland is still searching for its quarterback and meanwhile, Manziel is looking for a way to get back on the gridiron.
