Brandon Marshall To Johnny Manziel: Forget Football, Get Your Life Together
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Brandon Marshall has some advice for Johnny Manziel.
The Jets wide receiver can relate to the troubled Browns quarterback, having been involved in a number of legal run-ins himself earlier in his career.
But Marshall also knows about turning things around. He has stayed out of trouble in recent years and is coming off arguably his best season in a highly productive career.
On Showtime's "Inside the NFL," Marshall answered a fictional letter Tuesday from "Johnny from Cleveland" about how he could turn his career around.
"First, you need to forget about football, sir," Marshall said. "You need to go get your life together and, to be quite frank, I don't think you get it. You don't understand, and you're ruining a very, very special opportunity.
"There's a thing out there called divine mentorship, where you can learn from others' mistakes," added Marshall, a regular analyst on the show. "And he has an opportunity to really sit back and reflect on his situation, look at others and learn from it and be better."
Manziel has found himself back in the headlines this week.
He was in the NFL's concussion protocol after getting injured in a Dec. 27 game at Kansas City. He wasn't required to be at Cleveland's season finale Sunday because of the head injury, but owner Jimmy Haslam said Manziel failed to report to the team's facility for a required medical assessment. He, however, was spotted in Las Vegas the day before.
For several hours Sunday, the Browns weren't certain of Manziel's whereabouts and couldn't confirm if he was still in Vegas. He did return to Berea, Ohio, on Monday and was in attendance for team meetings when Haslam addressed the players following the firings of coach Mike Pettine and general manager Ray Farmer. Manziel did not come into the locker room to speak with the media.
The quarterback was cited for driving with expired license plates in Ohio that Saturday morning. And there was also a report that he was sent home from the Browns' facility several days earlier after appearing to be "inebriated and disheveled."
Haslam refused to comment on Manziel's outlook with the Browns, who selected him with a first-round draft pick in 2014 and have remained supportive of him during two turbulent seasons. Manziel spent 73 days in a rehab facility during the offseason for an unspecified condition.
The Browns have seemingly grown tired of Manziel's act.
During a news conference following Sunday's 28-12 loss to Pittsburgh, Haslam was short with his responses to questions about Manziel. Haslam said any decisions about his prospects will be handled by the next coaching staff, newly appointed executive vice president of football operations Sashi Brown and the new general manager.
Haslam did say Manziel would have to meet certain unspecified conditions to stay with the Browns.
"I think we will expect that of everybody," he said. "We certainly expect that of Johnny, too."
Adding to Manziel's issues, Cavaliers star LeBron James ended his business partnership with him Wednesday. James' marketing group, LRMR, had been handling endorsement opportunities for the 2012 Heisman Trophy winner.
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