The Tragic Downfall Of Johnny Manziel

Before he played his first NFL game, Johnny Manziel was living the good life. Thanks to the athlete's family's riches, which were acquired in the Texas oil industry, Manziel wasn't broke and feasting on ramen noodles like most other college coeds. Instead, he had more than enough money to party, travel, and hobnob with celebrities. That said, when the headlines favored his bad behavior over his talents on the field, it made many people question if he had the drive and focus to become an NFL superstar.

After all, as The Dallas Morning News reported in 2012, Manziel was arrested after being involved in a fight when he was just a freshman in college. He spent the night in jail after being charged with disorderly conduct, failure to identity, and possession of a false identification card. Despite his arrest and ever-growing reputation for being a misfit, he was chosen to be a counselor at the 2013 Manning Passing Academy — a four-day football camp hosted by the football greats Archie, Peyton, and Eli Manning. But the move didn't exactly work out for him. There were rumors that Manziel had overslept and skipped out on coaches' meetings. His parents even called in sick for him at one point, citing dehydration (via the New York Daily News). Eventually, he and the camp's officials "mutually decided" that he'd leave a day early.

Manziel was already off to a rough start, and things would only get worse.

Suspicions that Johnny Manziel was on a self-destructive path of hard-partying and drug and alcohol abuse were all but confirmed during the fourth of July weekend of 2014. NBC Sports posted a photo of the quarterback inside a Las Vegas hotel bathroom with a rolled-up $20 bill in his hand. Many speculated that the rolled money was to be used for Manziel to snort cocaine or another illegal substance.  

Over the years, there have been many photographs of the athlete partying like his life depended on it — even one in which he chugged a bottle of alcohol in a swimming pool. But over time, it soon appeared that he wasn't just a social drinker who was cutting loose and letting off some steam. Instead, Manziel seemed to be fighting a battle that was much stronger than himself. 

In January 2016, it was reported that he had shown up to a Browns' practice completely wasted after returning from another trip to Las Vegas. According to the New York Daily News, the quarterback entered the Browns' facility looking "disheveled and inebriated." It wasn't a good look for Manziel at all, but he was just getting started...

Before long, Johnny Manziel's teammates on the Cleveland Browns were ready to wash their hands of him. ESPN interviewed 20 "Browns sources" who anonymously gave their thoughts about the misguided quarterback. One teammate described Manziel's rookie season as a "100 percent joke." Another source affiliated with the team took the blame off of Manziel and instead pointed the finger at the organization, claiming that they knew that the quarterback wasn't "going to grow up." 

"You can't blame Johnny," the insider said. "This is who he is. The team knew that."

Whether it was Manziel's fault for sticking true to who he was or the team's fault for giving him a chance, he would continue to leave a sour taste in everyone's mouth with his perceived lack of ambition and his lackluster performance on the field.

In January 2016, Johnny Manziel was involved in a terrifying incident with then-girlfriend Colleen Crowley. According to CNN, the former couple allegedly argued while staying in a hotel room in Dallas over Manziel maintaining contact with another girl. When Crowley tried to leave the room, reportedly Manziel "restrained" her before leading her back to the valet area of the hotel. Although Crowley pleaded with the valet attendant to not allow Manziel to leave with her, the attendant reportedly told her that they didn't know what to do.

Manziel and Crowley then entered his car and drove off, but, when he stopped about a half-mile from where her vehicle was parked, Crowley reportedly jumped out of his car and attempted to hide. "He grabbed me by my hair and threw me back into the car and got back in himself," she allegedly told police. "He hit me with his open hand on my left ear for jumping out of the car. I realized immediately that I could not hear out of that ear, and I still cannot today, two days later."

Manziel then reportedly drove to Crowley's apartment, and, during the drive, allegedly threatened her by saying, "Shut up or I'll kill us both" (via the New York Post). Upon entering her apartment, she grabbed a knife from the kitchen to defend herself, causing Manziel to flee from the scene. While the charges against him were later dismissed, Manziel was ordered to refrain from having any contact with Crowley.

Initially, the world couldn't wait to see what Johnny Manziel would bring to the field, but the glimmer of hope they had that he'd become a dynamic force to be reckoned with quickly dissipated. Sports fans became fed up with his arrogance and cockiness, especially since they believed his sub-par football talents didn't warrant all of his showboating.

When Manziel injured his hamstring during a matchup against the Carolina Panthers, the crowd at the Panthers' stadium actually cheered in response to seeing him get hurt. Cam Newton, the quarterback for the rival team, even went on the record to say it was "sad" to see the crowd's response, according to ESPN. "I just think it was classless at that time. Anytime a person is hurt, you don't celebrate," Newton said. "I've had that done in my career. It takes the integrity out of the game."

In April 2014, Manziel soon realized it wasn't just NFL fans who were fed up with his antics. While attending the Final Four in Dallas, Manziel's face was plastered on the jumbotron screen in the arena, and, according to Bleacher Report, fans booed both him and his companion, rapper Drake. In January 2015, TMZ reported that partygoers at a Houston nightclub heckled the quarterback and shouted at him aggressively. Manziel and his crew were even doused with drinks. 

Sports fans were letting it be known: Manziel had definitely become one of the sport's most despised athletes.

As Johnny Manziel's life continued to snowball out of control, things came to a head in March 2016 when the Cleveland Browns decided to waive the quarterback and be done with him once and for all.

In his two seasons with the organization, Manziel had played in only 14 games and was the starting QB for only eight of them, as reported by the NFL. The move signaled Manziel's status as a free agent, meaning any team would be able to sign him to their roster. But with his tarnished image and his reputation in the league, many weren't surprised that most teams didn't want to touch him with a 10-foot pole.

While he began to make some positive changes in his life, Johnny Manziel married model Bre Tiesi "in a private ceremony at a California courthouse" in March 2018, according to People. But after a year of marriage, Tiesi removed the "Manziel" portion of her last name on Instagram and scrubbed him from her social media accounts — which is the modern-day equivalent of a relationship going belly up. 

She reportedly jetted off to Bali, Indonesia and posted a bikini-clad photo of herself, leading Internet trolls to come out in full force and question the state of her marriage. In response to a follower, which was captured by The Spun, Tiesi revealed her marriage was on the rocks, writing, "U been married? U been betrayed? I don't do betrayal for a person I was devoted to period. Vows were broken f**k money and f**k u and every other loser on here."

Days later, Manziel broke his silence and officially announced their split, telling TMZ Sports that he was "very sad" about the entire situation. According to sources cited by People magazine, the couple had previously considered separating at one point, but following Tiesi's trip to Bali, she had an inkling Manziel had been cheating. "She somehow found out, and she was irate," an insider said. "I don't know how she found out, but she did." A second source claimed Manziel "wanted to work it out," but Tiesi reportedly "wasn't having it."