Johnny Manziel's latest act of defiance won't be subject to punishment because the Browns have already lost interest in retaining his services.
The star-crossed quarterback not only was wearing, but also posed for a photograph, wearing a T-shirt with the Cowboys' star logo in an Instagram post. Naturally, the photo is taken with a woman who is not his ex-girlfriend Colleen Crowley and shows Johnny Football with what appears to be a drink in his right hand.
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The social media post is just the latest red flag for his employers in Cleveland, but comments from new head coach Hue Jackson indicate the team doesn't have the slightest interest in maintaining a relationship with what it once thought was its franchise quarterback.
Jackson admitted that he has not spoken with Manziel since he was hired, but tried to downplay it as happenstance.
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"I've talked to some and I'm going to talk to all as we go through this process,'' Jackson said when cleveland.com asked whether he's talked to his players. "I've got to kind of mix all of that in with hiring a staff and doing the other responsibilities that I have. I'm going to get around to everybody. He just wasn't in the first batch of guys -- but he's definitely on our list.''
That a dialog with Manziel is not a priority is confounding, according to ESPN.
"A team committed to a first-round quarterback simply would not treat its first-round quarterback with this kind of approach," ESPN's Pat McManamon surmised. "It would embrace him, talk to him, find out the details of what happened, try to get him focused on what's ahead and try to fix whatever caused said issue the final weekend of the season."
Browns vice president of football operations Sashi Brown said Manziel needs to demonstrate to the team that football and the Browns are his top priority, in another cleveland.com article.
"We want all of our guys to go out and come back in shape and be ready to go,'' Brown said. "The thing for him obviously is to demonstrate to teammates, to our fans, and to folks in the building that this is going to be the most important thing in his life."
But the Browns haven't intervened in Manziel's life, either, suggesting that nothing short of groveling -- backed by proof of lifestyle change -- will bring Manziel back to Cleveland next season.
Unless he is wearing that Cowboys star -- Dallas is scheduled to play in Cleveland next season.
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