It’s been a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad week for soon-to-be former Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel. His NFL career is hanging by a thread, and his own father thinks his life is hanging by a thread as well. On Friday night, Dallas police announced they have opened a criminal investigation into allegations that Manziel assaulted his former girlfriend.
On Thursday afternoon, WFAA in Dallas revealed that Colleen Crowley, who had broken up with Manziel in December, had told Fort Worth police about a horrific incident that took place on the night of January 29-30 in both Dallas and Fort Worth. Manziel reportedly dragged Crowley out of his Dallas hotel room, then drove her about half a mile to her car. According to an affidavit Crowley filed seeking a protective order against Manziel, when she tried to hide from Manziel in nearby bushes, Manziel found her, dragged her back into his car, and hit her in the left ear so hard that she still couldn’t hear out of that ear two days later.
Crowley said she tried to fight back, but Manziel responded by smashing her head against the car window. He then drove her to her apartment in Fort Worth; along the way, he threatened to kill both her and himself. The argument continued at Crowley’s apartment, prompting her to alert her parents about what was happening. When Manziel learned this, he went in on Crowley, forcing her to grab a knife in self-defense, prompting Manziel to run out of the apartment.
Police in Dallas and Fort Worth initially refused to press charges. But on Friday, Crowley met with police investigators in Dallas and filed a formal domestic violence complaint against Manziel, prompting the Dallas police to reopen their investigation. Police say this is very common in domestic violence cases due to the welter of emotions involved. Two days earlier, a Tarrant County judge ordered Manziel to stay at least 500 feet from Crowley’s home and workplace until 2018. He is also barred from having a gun or ammunition during this time.
Apparently Manziel must have told his agent, Erik Burkhardt, that this bomb was about to detonate. Just hours before police publicly announced the renewed investigation, Burkhardt announced he had cut ties with Manziel, saying that there was nothing more he could do to help Manziel get his life on track. Burkhardt added that while he and Manziel’s family have worked to knock some sense into Manziel, it is now apparent that “his future rests solely in his own hands.”
At this point, Manziel is in what can only be described as a downward spiral. On Monday, an NFL source told ESPN that the Browns had finally lost patience with him after two years of trying to set him right and curb his drinking, and plan to release him as soon as the NFL’s new fiscal year starts on March 9. ESPN’s Adam Schefter told ESPN Radio’s “Mike and Mike” that even without the near-certainty that he will face investigation and significant discipline from the NFL, Manziel has “destroyed his value” as a player, and will find it very difficult to catch on with another team. But that may be the least of his worries. Manziel’s father, Paul, told The Dallas Morning News that he fears his son “may not live to see his 24th birthday” unless he gets help, and soon.
From what I’ve been able to tell, this could have all been avoided had Manziel stayed at Texas A&M rather than turn pro after his sophomore season. I’ve seen too many incidents over the years of college football and basketball players leaving early even though they clearly aren’t emotionally ready. For every player who does well after leaving early, there are probably two or three like Manziel.
When I read about this latest incident involving Manziel, I immediately thought back to Eddie Griffin, a former NBA player whose profile was very similar to Manziel’s–including serious problems with alcohol. Griffin died in a car accident in 2007, and was revealed to have an alcohol content three times the legal limit. At that time, ESPN’s J. A. Adande wrote that when Griffin left Seton Hall after only one year, he missed “the most important part of college”–making the transition to adulthood. Clearly, Manziel missed that as well–and he needs to get it together and fast if he doesn’t want to end up like Griffin.
