Former first-round draft pick Johnny Manziel’s NFL career is looking like a thing of the past at the current time, as it’s unlikely any teams come calling with a serious offer to work him out in the coming weeks. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean that he’s done with football completely.
Manziel did say that his recent partying excursion in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico was it for him, at least for now, and that after July 1 he’d be focused on training and getting back to football. That’s good news, because it seems there’s some interest in his services.
Whether it’s a PR move or not, the Arena Football League announced they’d be interested in having him play, as the starting point for his comeback story. TMZ Sports was able to track down AFL commissioner Scott Butera, and he expressed interest in the former Browns quarterback.
“We could provide a strong platform for him to demonstrate that he is back,” he said. “We would also work with him and provide him whatever help he needed to live a healthy life.”
He’s not wrong. Manziel would really have to humble himself to play in the AFL, but he was just recently hit with a four-game suspension for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy, and it just doesn’t seem likely that he’d be seriously courted by any of the league’s teams. A PR move seems more likely than anything, and even with that, Manziel is still a huge risk/liability.
The AFL would provide a lot less pressure on him, and he could get a year of play under his belt. And, most importantly, he’d be given the opportunity to show he can stay clean and be a positive locker room presence. What he’s doing right now – – partying, failing drug tests and trolling his dad on social media — certainly isn’t the path to success.