Heading into the 2014 NFL Draft, the expectation, and let's be honest, the hope among otherwise unbiased NFL fans was that the Dallas Cowboys would use the 16th overall pick in the draft to select Texas A&M Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Johnny Manziel. On the surface, it appeared to be a match made in Texas football heaven. Manziel earned the “Johnny Football” nickname as a sophomore in high school as he was a slingin' the pigskin under the lights on Friday nights. Then he took his career to Texas A&M where he excelled on Saturdays, and now, the Dallas Cowboys, America's Team, would potentially be selecting a bonafide Texas high school football legend? That's the stuff right out of a movie, isn't it?
Here's the thing, though: not all movies have the happy endings we hope for, and according to Johnny Manziel himself, who now has a decade of hard times to look back on to color his perception of the situation, this movie wouldn't have ended well.
“I had my fingers crossed under that table the entire time. ‘Please, let me go put that star on my helmet.’ Looking back now, thank God it didn’t happen because I wouldn’t be sitting here today.” – @jmanziel2#cowboys #dallas pic.twitter.com/8Zw2UB9FvL
— Club Shay Shay (@ClubShayShay) February 22, 2024
“I think I know myself well enough to be able to say that it would've been bad in it's own right,” Manziel told ESPN's Shannon Sharpe on a recent episode of Club Shay Shay Podcast. “Luckily, thankfully, it didn't happen, even though at that time, it's what I wanted.”
Instead of Dallas, Manziel was selected by the Cleveland Browns with the 22nd pick in the Draft. Immediately upon entering the NFL, Manziel was hit with unfair expectations by the likes of media personality Skip Bayless, who claimed that Manziel would be bigger in the city of Cleveland than LeBron James ever was. Over the course of eight starts with the Browns, Manziel was 2-6, throwing for 1,675 passing yards, and scoring 8 total touchdowns compared to 10 turnovers. That is the full extent of Johnny Manziel's NFL career.
Manziel's NFL career is best known for his off-the-field issues. He made a habit of missing team meetings, partying in Vegas, and had a domestic violence incident with his now ex-girlfriend. Near the bitter end of his tenure, Johnny Manziel's father Paul spoke candidly to ESPN, sharing the following about his son: “He's a druggie. It's not a secret that he's a druggie. Hopefully, he doesn't die before he comes to his senses. I mean, I hate to say it, but I hope he goes to jail. I mean, that would be the best place for him. I'm doing my job, and I'm going to move on. If I have to bury him, I'll bury him.”
That's not the ending of the story that anybody hoped for, but here's the silver lining: at least Manziel is still alive to tell it.
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