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Cleveland Browns Shouldn’t Cut Johnny Manziel

By Zac Wassink

5, 2015; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel (2) walks off the field after the Cincinnati Bengals defeated the Cleveland Browns 31-10 at Paul Brown Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Kohl-USA TODAY Sports
5, 2015; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel (2) walks off the field after the Cincinnati Bengals defeated the Cleveland Browns 31-10 at Paul Brown Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Kohl-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Cleveland Browns may not be able to save Johnny Manziel the quarterback, but the team can still try to save Manziel the person. 

The Cleveland Browns should not cut Johnny Manziel on March 9 or anytime soon.

Manziel’s situation now has nothing to do with cap hits, the National Football League, new Cleveland head coach Hue Jackson, questions about Manziel’s maturity or concerns about his dedication to the cause and to the Browns.

The Browns cutting Manziel could now be a matter of life and death.

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When Manziel was involved in another domestic incident with ex-girlfriend Colleen Crowley last weekend, the second such incident since October, it was understood why the Browns were through with the phenom formerly known as “Johnny Football.” Manziel’s skills on the field weren’t worth his troubles off of it. Browns Executive Vice President Sashi Brown all-but announced, through an official team statement, that the team would be cutting Manziel on March 9 when NFL salary cap regulations will allow such a move.

In Manziel’s defense, he has never faced charges for either domestic incident. Eventually, though, there is bound to be at least some fire causing all of the smoke. Even if Manziel was not guilty of all of the allegations made against him, there were real causes for concern that the QB was not just enjoying a party lifestyle because he was a 23-year-old celebrity who had millions of dollars in NFL and family money.

Perhaps Manziel was self-medicating and, by doing so, making himself a dangerous individual.

The police report regarding the most recent Manziel-Crowley story is upsetting, disturbing, and also very sad.

Manziel contacted TMZ on Thursday to deny all of the claims made by Crowley.

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Stories of “he said, she said” are nothing new as it pertains to domestic violence situations. That does not, however, erase the fact that those of us who were not there do not know exactly what happened between Manziel and Crowley. Still, if only half of the original story told to law enforcement by Crowley is accurate, it paints a picture of Manziel being a disturbed and possibly even bipolar individual who is a danger to others and maybe even to himself.

The story became even more disheartening on Friday morning.

It was announced before 10:00 am ET that Erik Burkhardt, who had served as Manziel’s agent, had ended that business relationship. An agent cutting ties with a player who is still currently signed to a team is both rare and alarming, and it would seem to indicate that Burkhardt is convinced that Manziel would not find a new NFL home were the Browns to cut him in March as is expected.

The words contained in Burkhardt’s statement indicated that Manziel was in serious need of help, help that he is refusing at this time.

All of this has taken place roughly one month after LRMR, LeBron James’ marketing agency, announced that it had cut ties with Manziel (h/t Cleveland.com). Manziel will now enter Super Bowl weekend with no marketing agency behind him, no agent working for him and with no NFL team wanting to sign him once the Browns cut him loose. Anybody still thinking that Manziel may not be in the middle of a terrifying downward spiral need only hear what his father, Paul, had to stay on the matter.

Per Kate Hairopoulos of the Dallas Morning News:

"“I truly believe if they can’t get him help, he won’t live to see his 24th birthday,” Paul Manziel told The Dallas Morning News."

That same story claims that the family has twice attempted to get Manziel to enter and remain in a rehabilitation facility since the latest domestic incident was made public. Manziel, who reportedly spent around three months in rehab following the 2014 NFL season, has denied his family’s wishes.

This is not the first time that Paul Manziel feared the worst for his son.

Manziel, for all intents and purposes, is not a NFL player at the moment. No franchise — not the Dallas Cowboys, Los Angeles Rams, Kansas City Chiefs, New York Jets, Buffalo Bills or any other team that could use an upgrade at the QB position — is going to sign him in a month. Or in two months. Or in July.

Manziel must be the first to see and realize this reality. His NFL career may not be over, but he is closer to being retired and a “never was” than to resurrecting his playing days from the ashes. Remember, also, that the NFL is investigating the latest allegations made against Manziel. The league could still hit Manziel with a significant suspension before the start of the 2016 NFL season.

There is no chance that Manziel is going to become some other team’s headache anytime soon. Manziel and the Browns are going to be linked for the foreseeable future. Thus, we circle back to the original point.

The Browns shouldn’t cut Manziel because there is no longer any reason to do so.

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Manziel’s cap hit, per Spotrac, is going to affect the Browns regardless of his roster status on March 9. The Browns would have already cut him if that wasn’t the case. Manziel won’t be a distraction for a new coaching staff and new front office because he isn’t going to be around. Manziel will hopefully get the help that he needs while his playing status is stuck on the Non-Football Injury list explained in this Big Blue View post.

This shouldn’t be an immediate or forever decision made by the Browns. Those claiming that Manziel has hit “rock bottom” fail to realize that this story’s tragic end has not yet been realized. The nightmare scenario involves headlines of “Browns Cut Manziel” being followed by stories of an even more permanent end. Assuming that Manziel is as unstable as his father believes, the Browns cutting him on March 9 could be the final push that shoves him over the edge from which he would never return.

Manziel will likely never play another down in the NFL. Maybe that is what is best for all involved. That should not concern the Browns right now, as one of their own could be in serious danger of losing more than a football game.

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