Cleveland Browns teammates Brian Hoyer and Johnny Manziel were head-to-head competitors for the club’s starting quarterback job in 2014.

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Hoyer won the initial battle in training camp, and held onto the job for thirteen weeks. Poor play from Hoyer gave Manziel a two week audition as the starter, but the rookie performed even more poorly than Hoyer had.

Now Hoyer has come out in support of Johnny Football, who checked into rehab last month after off-field drinking and partying contributed to his poor play.

“I texted Johnny when he went into rehab, haven’t heard back,” Hoyer told USA Today’s For The Win. “But I’m sure when you go into rehab they don’t allow you to use your phone. It takes a big person to check yourself into rehab.

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“He and I became friends through this year,” Hoyer continued. “There was no reason for me to have any animosity towards Johnny. He didn’t choose to be drafted by Cleveland. We got along great. I hope the best for him. He definitely has the talent to have a great career. They don’t just hand out the Heisman Trophy to anybody.”