Johnny Manziel Is Looking To Trademark Another Nickname
Even though he will be serving as backup for the Cleveland Browns starter Brian Hoyer, Johnny Manziel is looking to trademark a new nickname for himself and his position on the NFL team.
According to a report from ESPN, Manziel has filed to trademark Johnny Cleveland, which his company, JMan2 Enterprises LLC, said they had “the intention to use it on athletic apparel and footwear.” This marks the 10th filing for the former Texas A&M quarterback.
Two fans had made an unsuccessful attempt at getting Johnny Cleveland trademarked, since Manziel didn’t originally give consent of it, and the nickname was believed to be referring to him. Some other Manziel nicknames that fans tried to get trademarked include Money Manziel, Johnny Browns, and Johnny Be Good. All of those were denied for the same reasons.
One nickname that had been given approval was the Spanish version of Johnny Football, Juanito Futbol, to which Manziel did not give his consent. It was later registered by someone not affiliated with the quarterback.
This filing comes after he won a court battle earlier this year to get Johnny Football trademarked, according to a separate report from ESPN. He is still awaiting approval for the trademark.
Other nicknames for which the Heisman Trophy winner has filed include JFF, ManzIIiel, and The House That Johnny Built, which refers to the restored Kyle Field at Texas A&M. Manziel is currently in a legal battle with his former personal assistant, Nate Fitch, over that nickname. Both had filed separate trademarks, and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office said Manziel would have to approve of it first before it can be used.
The Cleveland Browns will square off in their first game of the season against rival Pittsburgh Steelers in Pittsburgh on Sunday. In a related report from The Inquisitr, while Brian Hoyer is starting for the Browns, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said his team is preparing for the possibility that Manziel may take the field, too.
“We’ve got a great deal of respect for Johnny Manziel and his talents,” Tomlin said. “They didn’t draft him in the first round to watch. We fully expect them to utilize him in some capacity in this football game.”
But there are some who don’t think Manziel can succeed in professional football. According to a report from Fox Sports, former Steelers running back Merril Hoge said that the team should “want” Johnny Manziel to start against them.
“You want him on that field,” Hoge added. “He has no business being on that field right now.”
Hoge mentioned that when he was first analyzing Manziel for the draft, he could not find anything on him “that transitions to the National Football League.”
“There’s not one skill set that he had that you’re like, ‘Gosh, he’s a first-rounder,'” he said. “Really, nothing.”
Hoge is also predicting that Johnny Manziel will have the same kind of NFL career as Tim Tebow.
“This will be the saddest, quickest ending we have seen in quite some time,” he said.
Manziel responded to Hoge’s criticism, saying that the former Steelers running back is “entitled to every bit of his opinion.”
“He’s been in the opposite corner of me for a while now, so all I can really do is go out and try to prove him wrong,” Manziel said.
[Featured image credit: Brad Penner — USA TODAY Sports via WKYC]
[Inline image credit: Andrew Weber — USA TODAY Sports via Fansided]
