Johnny Manziel said during his first news conference of Cleveland Browns training camp that he's made "rookie mistakes." But his comments during the conference suggest that he will continue to make those mistakes.
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NFL.com reported that the former Heisman Trophy winner and first-round draft choice braced for the multitude of questions about his offseason behavior.
His answers left nothing of substance.
"Me and coach (Mike) Pettine and (general manager) Ray Farmer really talked about a lot of things that transpired over the course of the offseason," Manziel said Friday. "The main thing is people within this building, my teammates, the coaching staff, the higher-ups in this organization -- we've all been on the same page, we've all been good and we're very eager to be moving forward."
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"At the end of the day, I've made some rookie mistakes. There's some things I wish I could have gone back and done a little differently, but continuing to move forward and try to represent this organization in a positive manner and a positive light."
The quarterback competing with Brian Hoyer for the starting quarterback position, however, did not elaborate on what those rookie mistakes were.
According to NFL.com, one hard-hitting question came at him immediately; he was asked about a photo that went viral of Manziel rolling up a $20 bill in a bathroom - ProFootballTalk.NBCSports.com's Mike Florio the first to suggest publicly what all of us assumed, that tightly rolled paper money is often used to inhale cocaine.
Manziel shed zero light on the incident.
"I just spoke on that a little bit," Manziel replied. "I've talked about that with that coach Pettine, I've talked about it with Ray Farmer and the people I need to talk about that with and moving forward they're good with everything and I've told them everything that I need to and everything's been good."
And even after reports earlier in the day that sources in the organization were saying that Manziel's play on the field during the offseason has regressed because of his love for the nightlife during his free time, Manziel refused to back off from his earlier comments that he was going to enjoy himself when he's not on the field.
"I don't think there's anything wrong with me going out and having a nightlife and having a social life," he said. "I am 21 years old, and I do like going out. It was the offseason, free time for us, and if I want to go out, hang out with my friends or go to nightclubs or do things like that, I think that's within my rights to be doing that."
It was unclear whether any of the media addressed the reports of Manziel's regression.
Yes, he is 21 and most 21-year-olds enjoy the nightlife, especially in the summer when they're away from school. Unlike most 21-year-olds, however, Manziel is fighting for a position in the NFL and a career that can pay him millions of dollars over the next several years.
It's perfectly within his right to party, but he has so much more to lose. And perhaps because his parents are well off, the lure of big NFL paydays aren't as great. But he cannot possibly think that he is giving the NFL his undivided attention.
Cleveland.com, in reporting about the Browns being "alarmed" by Manziel's offseason behavior, cited an interview Manziel conducted with the Houston Chronicle in February when he talked about wanting to leave his TMZ lifestyle behind.
"I was a kid who made some goofball decisions," he said. "That's been part of my journey. Maybe it's part of the whole Johnny Football deal that I'm trying to get away from. I'm trying to show people I've grown up and I've learned from my experiences. I feel like you're a stupid person if you continue to make the same wrong decisions. I don't want to hear, 'Oh, anybody in his situation would have been doing the same thing.' I'm 100 percent responsible for my actions."
He also said, "Johnny Football is the stuff you see on TMZ. There's part of that folktale that goes along with it and tries to twist me into somebody I'm not all the time. I feel like now there's kind of like this frozen food package - a prewrapped, precooked package of who I am.
"Johnny Manziel is the guy that - whether it's Houston, Jacksonville, Cleveland or Oakland - you'll have to drag off that field before I stop playing for those guys. Those are my teammates. Those are my brothers from now on. I'm going to fight until there's no time left on the clock. That's Johnny Manziel.''
If Manziel can look at himself in the mirror and say he's done what he said in the February article, he's lying to himself.
The facts that he answered none of the reporters' questions and expects his evasive answers to be good enough to protect him from facing the consequences of his actions show that he's not learning anything.
The Browns aren't going to protect him like he's been protected in the past, at least not forever.
But the good news is, at this rate, in a couple of years, Manziel will be able to party year-round because he won't have to worry about an NFL career anymore.
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