Does Johnny Manziel still play football? Exploring the former Texas A&M quarterback's career
Former Texas A&M sensastion Johnny Manziel reminded the sporting world of his star power when his documentary titled "UNTOLD: Johnny Football" premiered on Netflix this month.
Manziel became a star with his unorthodox style of playing quarterback in college, allowing him to break several records and become the only freshman to win the Heisman Trophy.
Drafted No. 22 by the Cleveland Browns in 2014, he was expected to take the NFL by storm. But he was released in 2016 after he got arrested for domestic violence against his girlfriend Colleen Crowley compounding his situation as a bust on the field.
No team wanted his services until 2018 when the Canadian Football League's Tiger Cats signed him. He was traded to the Alouettes midseason and released at the end of that season.
The CFL stopped him from signing with any other team after he contravened the terms of his contract with the league.
The last time he played football, Manziel was part of Fan Controlled Football, a league made by fans. He played for the Zappers in 2020 and announced his return to FCF as a player-coach in 2022.
In the Netflix documentary, he seemed to put a full stop to his playing days and announce his retirement:
"I still get a lot of questions regarding football and regarding a past career, and I want to put the whole Johnny Football thing to rest."
What does the media have to say about Johnny Manziel?
Johnny Manziel has always divided opinion ever since his playing days with the Texas A&M Aggies. Even through his brief and underwhelming NFL career with the Browns, he had his supporters and detractors.
The release of his life behind the scenes on "UNTOLD: Johnny Football," brought about the familiar debate in the sports world. Some prominent media personalities and fans have piled on the criticism, while others have supported him.
All quarterbacks watch video to improve their game, but the Netflix documentary revealed that Johnny Manziel watched zero hours of video. The Browns had a tracker on an iPad to track his watching habits, and surprisingly, he never even powered it on.
On "The Herd," Colin Cowherd reacted with shock at the news:
“Johnny Manziel’s agent, Erik Burkhardt, and Johnny Manziel himself confirmed it. … He admits to watching no tape. None. And he’s almost proud of it, almost bragging about it, watched no tape.”
Cowherd blamed the Browns for picking Manziel even after he had shown signs of being unprofessional.
“That's why it's so troubling," Cowherd said. "He would have told you what he is. He bragged about what he was, and Cleveland went all in.”
There's a reason why he was nicknamed Johnny Football. He had the ability to manipulate news cycles almost like no other athlete, and it appears as if he still has that capability.