Johnny Manziel has taken the first step in his recovery by admitting he has a problem.
The unemployed quarterback has been on a nonstop partying binge for the last few months, leaving many to speculate that his career is over following a release from the Browns in March. Manziel, however, may have finally reached rock bottom and is attempting to pull himself back up -- at least he claims.
Manziel notably checked himself into rehab for alcohol problems prior to last season, but still managed to relapse. Now, after his personal and professional life has fallen apart, he appears to be taking the next step toward getting help again.
"I'm hoping to take care of the issues in front of me right now so I can focus on what I have to do if I want to play in 2016," Manziel said in a statement, according to USA Today Sports. "I also continue to be thankful to those who really know me and support me."
During and after the season, Manziel had issues staying away from the party scene, leading to new Browns coach Hue Jackson and the organization cutting him. He's also embroiled in a domestic disturbance case with ex-girlfriend Colleen Crowley, which is set to be heard before a grand jury.
Crowley alleged that Manziel hit her so hard in a Jan. 29 incident that she lost hearing in her left ear.
Despite all of this, the party hasn't stopped for Manziel, who turned up at Coachella over the weekend and was reportedly wasted the entire time. Hopefully his statement is a true wakeup call and not just a public relations move.
It will take a lot for Manziel to earn back enough trust to make it back into the NFL, but if he does, one likely suitor is the Cowboys. Owner Jerry Jones has never been shy about his admiration for the former Heisman Trophy winner.
The Cowboys eventually need a successor to Tony Romo, 35, who is under contract until 2020. Romo spent a lot of 2015 sidelined with a left collarbone injury. Manziel, 23, has shown flashes of talent, but needs to get his personal life together if Dallas is ever to sign him.
"What's got to get out of my mind is my concern for him, just his well-being," Jones told Peter King of Sports Illustrated in a recent interview. "Anybody should be rooting for and concerned about him getting his life together."
Even with his concern for Manziel, Jones is still very high on the signal caller.
"I have the same impression that when he came out of A&M of what his potential is as a football player," Jones said. "I haven't changed my opinion of how exciting of a player that he is, how unique a player that he is."
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