So, Johnny Manziel has gotten out of his stint at rehab, done his message, obviously formulated from the Browns mouthpiece and now he seems to be enjoying some downtime going to sports games. It seems like he’s putting in facetime as part of a PR recovery program, but as we’ve seen in the past with other celebrities, it can be very short lived and the self-sabotage continues.
The fact that the media is covering such things as him going to a Texas Rangers game and then a Cavaliers game feels very premeditated as they rarely do a full story on a sports figure or celebrity doing this. It’s either a slow news day or the work of a very savvy PR person feeling the need to push Manziel on everyone.
For his sake, I hope Manziel is able to pull it together, but we’ve seen too many celebrities run into rehab, offer up a mea culpa knowing that fans love a second chance. I’ve known enough celebrities who’s gone through rehab and were very serious about it. After leaving, they usually put their head down and focus on their career and not trying to grab more spotlight. With Manzile showing up at two public events right on the heels of rehab, it really has you wondering if this is his choice or if he’s being pushed out for the media. It’s not working as the only proof will be when he gets back out on the field and shows that he wasn’t just anther overexposed too soon athlete. I’m rooting for him, but it’s all about the people he’s surrounding himself with know to get through the post-rehab rough patches.
Here’s the full statement Johnny Manzile put out through the Cleveland Browns.
“I would like to thank my family, friends, the Browns organization, my teammates, and Browns fans everywhere, for your patience, understanding, and support during my stay at Caron. The doctors and staff have been amazing and what I’ve learned in the last couple of months has been tremendous. I owe private apologies to a lot of people that I disappointed but a very public one to the Browns organization and the fans that I let down. I take full responsibility for my actions and it’s my intention to work very hard to regain everyone’s trust and respect. I understand that will take time and will only happen through what I do and not what I say. I also understand there’s a lot of curiosity about this but anyone who has a friend or family-member that’s been through things like this knows it’s an ongoing process. I’m going to continue to ask folks to try to respect my privacy as I determine to what degree I am comfortable talking about a subject which I consider very personal. Most of you have been considerate about that and I thank you for it. I look forward to seeing my teammates next week and focusing on football and my desire to be the best possible player, teammate, and man that I can be.”
Manziel is expected to be present at the Browns’ offseason program beginning Monday.