Johnny Manziel wants to play again, won't vow to stop drinking
Imagine if the Johnny Manziel saga includes an NFL comeback someday.
It’s unlikely. Manziel didn’t answer many questions about his ability to succeed in the NFL over his two seasons with the Cleveland Browns. And that’s just on the field. We all know the rest, including an ongoing case for domestic assault and a four-game suspension by the NFL. He hasn’t been great on the field and his story off the field has been scary.
Is the latter part of that changing? Kent Babb of the Washington Post wrote a long story on the rise and fall of Manziel, and it included tidbits of hope. Rafael Valdez, Manziel’s tattoo artist, said Manziel moved to West Hollywood, is working out, has a personal chef and he hasn’t seen Manziel drink alcohol in weeks. Manziel’s friends say he isn’t an addict and they don’t worry about him.
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“He’s a young dude trying to have a good time,” Valdez told Babb.
That’s all up for debate, and maybe the truth lies somewhere between the rosy words from his friends and the crazy stories we’ve heard about Manziel all offseason. Manziel himself chimed in with an email to the Washington Post sent through his publicist, and said he wants to play football again, but he curiously offered up that he wouldn’t necessarily stop drinking for good.
“I’m actually doing well,” Manziel said in the statement to the Washington Post. “I have good friends around me supporting what I do and I try to support them in what they want to do. I’m not saying I’m never drinking again, but for now just mostly being healthy. I’ve got a killer gym in my house and I can spend time working out. I’m interested in doing a lot of different things in my life — including football — but, right now, I’m just exploring options and waiting to see what the future holds.”
Manziel previously told TMZ before that he planned to go sober on July 1.
Even if Manziel commits to football and getting back in shape, there are so many obstacles for a comeback. It seems obvious that he’d have to alter his on- and off-field reputation by going to play in the CFL or another league. It’s going to take more than working out to get an NFL team interested in giving him a second chance.
But at least there are positive signs for Manziel, for the first time in a long time. The next step is seeing if the newfound commitment is permanent.
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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
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