The Cleveland Browns continue to be haunted by the quarterback decisions they have made since returning to the NFL in 1999. About to enter another campaign without a franchise QB in place, the Browns also have to deal with continuing nonsense from a former player.
Not only did Johnny Manziel fail miserably after the Browns made him the No. 22 overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, but he continues to bash the franchise at every turn. Now, more than a decade after leaving the team and the NFL for good, he can’t stop talking about them.
Manziel recently appeared on the “Nightcap” podcast hosted by former players Shannon Sharpe and Chad Johnson. The 33-year-old said he would “hate Cleveland forever” and that he’s “rooting for 0-16 seasons every season,” while Sharpe and Johnson laughed along with the comments.
In response, analyst Daryl Ruiter went scorched earth on Manziel, calling on the player to take accountability for the role he played in his own demise.
“At some point, you need to be accountable for yourself and how you behaved and what you did and your lack of preparation. The Browns never stuck it to you. Browns fans never stuck it to you. Just keep us out of your mouth. You are where you are in life because of yourself. How about some accountability for that? How about, maybe, some self-deprecating humor about the clown show that you were and the unmitigated disaster that you were as a person and a football player? That was on you. That wasn’t on the Browns. That wasn’t on Browns fans or the city of Cleveland. It was on you,” Ruiter said.
Ruiter likely speaks for many Browns fans who never want to hear from or about Manziel ever again. He is the most prominent representation of the franchise’s failure at the quarterback position, which is saying something considering the long list there is to choose from.
In a different universe, Manziel would be entering the twilight years of a long and successful career with the Browns. Instead, he is seen as one of the most notorious busts in recent NFL history.
Manziel played just 14 games, making eight starts for Cleveland, and to this day blames the organization for what went on behind the scenes. What is telling is that after he was let go by the Browns, he could not find a job with another NFL team.
He was suspended by the league for violating its substance abuse policy in 2016 and never played again. Since then, he has also dealt with domestic violence charges.
The Browns may have failed Manziel in some way, but “Johnny Football” played a much bigger role in why his career flamed out.
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