BEREA, Ohio -- Cleveland Browns quarterback Josh McCown is concerned for teammate Johnny Manziel.
After promising not to embarrass or be a distraction for the organization that spent a first-round pick on him in the 2014 NFL Draft, Manziel's bye weekend partying was documented in a profanity-laced video that surfaced early Monday.
The latest video prompted Browns coach Mike Pettine to bench Manziel and promote McCown to start the Monday Night Football game against the Baltimore Ravens this coming week, just seven days after he named Manziel the starter for the remainder of the season.
"My hope for him is, whatever those choices that he's making, that they're healthy choices and they're good for him as a person," McCown said Tuesday. "When you're in that room with somebody and spend as much time as we do together, there's a connection there and you want to see people inside the room, and even when they move outside the walls, to make good choices and to make healthy decisions.
"If that doesn't happen, there's a part of you that goes, 'Man, is there something I can do? What else can I do to help him?' I think that's just my mindset. I f there's an issue or something else that I can help be a part of, then re-think that plan of attack, but aside from that, I don't want to really get into it too much more."
Manziel's latest appearance in the tabloids came just one week after being cleared by the NFL for an incident involving his girlfriend, Colleen Crowley, in the Cleveland suburb of Avon last month.
Six weeks ago, the Browns were basking in the glory of a victory over the Ravens, their first in Baltimore since the 10-6 season of 2007, but while his teammates were enjoying a day off, Manziel was being pulled over by police in Avon.
Eye-witness calls to the police from fellow travelers along Interstate 90 detailed Manziel, who admitted to having a couple drinks downtown before heading home, as driving erratically on the highway and in a physical argument with his girlfriend, who was heard on the dash cam video saying "he hurt me several times," and also, "I'm in fear for my life."
Manziel spent 10 weeks in a rehabilitation facility in the offseason.
"You spend that much time with somebody, there is genuine concern," McCown said. "You just want people to make healthy choices. It's not just Johnny. It's every guy in this locker room. We're in this thing together, and we'll go out there and fight hard together.
"I desire for every guy to have a good, healthy life outside of this building. So that's my mindset. Regardless, if it doesn't seem like that's the case, then I think as a teammate and just like I would do with any other close friends in my life, you just go, 'How can I serve them? How can I help them?' And if you feel like you're doing that, then what other area or what other plan of attack can you take to do more if need be?"
Despite the NFL investigation, which last week cleared Manziel of any wrongdoing, the Browns kept him active for every game, and started him each of the last two contests.
Manziel set new career highs with 33 completions, 45 attempts and 372 passing yards, and threw for the fourth-most yards by a Browns quarterback in a road start in a 30-9 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on November 15. The 372 yards are the 10th-most ever in a single game by a Browns quarterback.
"It's not just Johnny," McCown said. "The access and the things you might try to do in private and/or public, but maybe you're trying to do them behind the scenes, but it could get out there just because of social media and phones and things like that. It makes it a lot tougher. It's way different than when I came into the league.
"I hope guys take those situations and learn from it and grow through it. You just hope whenever you go through something like that, it can be something you look at it as 'I have to improve from this and get better.' He obviously made that statement going into the bye and just plan on making good choices and things like that. I don't think anything other than you feel like you make that statement to the coach because you feel good about how you feel going into the bye, so I don't know if I feel a certain way about a guy having to say that or not.
"There are obviously things away from the facility that maybe people aren't pleased with and maybe need to get cleaned up. I think it's a work in progress, but I feel like I always see and believe the good in people. There's some youth involved in some of the decision-making that might not be the best, but I certainly don't count him out by any stretch."
