Johnny Manziel's former teammate Mike Evans applauds him for speaking on mental health
As mental health awareness grows in sports, Mike Evans applauded Johnny Manziel for being vulnerable in the new documentary, "Untold: Johnny Football."
"I thought it was very noble of him to do what he did," Evans, who was Manziel's teammate at Texas A&M, told ESPN in an interview published Wednesday, "'cause it takes heart to, like, admit a lot of that stuff."
Toward the end of the Netflix film, Manziel revealed that when his football career ended, he attempted to take his own life.
"I knew he was in a very dark place; I didn't know about that," the Tampa Bay Buccaneers receiver said. "I care about him, but, you know, I didn't know about his suicide attempt. That was news."
Manziel was selected No. 22 by the Cleveland Browns in the 2014 NFL draft after skyrocketing to national fame as the quarterback for Texas A&M. He made history as the first freshman to win the Heisman Trophy.
"When I got everything that I wanted, I think I was the most empty that I've ever felt inside," Manziel said in the film, going on to say he went on a "$5 million bender" when he was cut from the Browns after two seasons. The quarterback said he bought a gun "that I knew I was gonna use" to take his own life.
"I wanted to get as bad as humanly possible to where it made sense and it made it seem like an excuse and an out for me," he said. "Still to this day, don't know what happened, but the gun just clicked on me."
Manziel discussed being diagnosed with bipolar disorder and leaving the spotlight to focus on his mental health.
"Untold" also examined the paid autograph sessions that Manziel participated in (which were prohibited by the NCAA at the time), the quarterback's penchant for partying and how he barely passed the drug test at the NFL scouting combine, among other events that created controversy.
"I thought it was a good documentary," Evans said, who appeared in the project with Manziel during the school's 2022 Hall of Fame ceremony at Kyle Field. "I mean, there's a lot of stuff that I knew about, questions answered for a lot of people."
For Manziel, his wellness journey is ongoing.
"I think there's a lot of things that I have to do just from a mental health standpoint. They get me out of bed in the morning to make sure I'm staying on myself," he told USA TODAY ahead of the film's release. "I don't ever want to go back to being in a place of where I was maybe six, seven years ago after my time in Cleveland was up. Things to do just on a personal level, to keep myself pretty even keel and where I want to be. And my friends and my family right now are the biggest piece and biggest factor in my life."
If you or someone you know needs support for mental health, suicidal thoughts or substance abuse call, text or chat: Call U.S. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 any time day or night, or chat online. Crisis Text Line provides free, 24/7, confidential support via text message to people in crisis when they dial 741741.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Mike Evans applauds Johnny Manziel for mental health conversation
