Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel has been able to put his off-the-field antics away and stay focused on football. He hasn’t had any big-time troubles or been in the spotlight for any of the wrong reasons this season, but that’s now changed. Manziel was pulled over by police after a domestic dispute with girlfriend Colleen Crowley got out of hand and he admitted to drinking, but will it be a problem?
ESPN has reported that the police pulled Manziel and Crowley over on Monday and the quarterback did admit to drinking earlier in the day.
Several witnesses called the police after seeing the couple arguing in a vehicle on Monday. The argument got to the point where Crowley, a student at TCU, tried leaving the car as it was exiting a highway.
Once the police arrived on the scene, the couple did admit to arguing and it was revealed that they were drinking earlier in the day. Police made the determination that Manziel was not intoxicated at the time, and he was not going to be charged.
Yahoo! Sports states that the police report indicated Crowley accused Manziel of pushing her head into a car window. The report also said that police noticed an abrasion on Colleen Crowley’s arm, but it was later determined that Manziel caused that when he attempted to stop her from exiting the moving vehicle.
Johnny Manziel has played sparingly this season as he is the back-up for starter Josh McCown. Manziel filled in during the season opener after McCown was knocked out with a concussion which was followed up with a start and win over the Tennessee Titans the next week.
Following McCown getting through the NFL’s concussion protocol, he returned to the starting line-up as Manziel returned to the sidelines.
The incident is likely not going to draw a lot of attention from the Cleveland Browns or NFL since no charges were filed and the couple were allowed to leave the scene. On Friday evening, Manziel posted a series of tweets giving his explanation of the situation.
Colleen and I got into a dumb public argument on the way home Monday afternoon. It probably looked more interesting than it was and…
— Johnny Manziel (@JManziel2) October 16, 2015
I know I would stop and check if I saw a couple arguing on the side of the road. It was embarrassing but not serious…
— Johnny Manziel (@JManziel2) October 16, 2015
and when we talked to the police and they realized everything was alright and I was sober, we went home together and everything is fine.
— Johnny Manziel (@JManziel2) October 16, 2015
The NFL is going to review the incident and will determine from that point if there is any kind of discipline that is warranted for him. The Browns are dealing with it internally as well and GM Ray Farmer issued a statement regarding the situation.
“We were aware of the situation. It is a matter that we take seriously and have expressed our concerns to Johnny directly. Those conversations will remain private and we will refrain from further comment at this time.”
Earlier this year, Johnny Manziel spent 10 weeks in rehab for treatment that was never specified and it was never fully revealed what he went into the facility for. It’s not entirely known if his post-rehab care prohibits drinking, but this could be something that plays into the disciplinary procedure.
Johnny Manziel is doing well with the Cleveland Browns, and he’s managed to keep his name out the newspapers for bad reasons and stay out of trouble. Even though this domestic dispute incident with girlfriend Colleen Crowley ended without much problem, it’s still something that may not be seen as acceptable.
[Images via Getty Images – Rich Schultz/Leon Halip/Jason Miller]